BonAppetour Hosts: Jean’s Private Kitchen
We are very excited to have Jean join us as a host on BonAppetour!
Currently residing in Hamburg, Germany, Jean works as a private chef, and is also a business consultant in the food industry. She caters to diners around the world, and flies to various locations to host private meals for her clients. Her high profile clientele ranges from ambassadors and diplomats (UN, WHO, WTO), to high flying professionals from all industries.
We are very intrigued by Jean’s passion for cooking, as well as her personal experiences with food. Read on to find out more about Jean with regards to her food and culinary experiences!
On her inspiration for delving into cooking…
Coming from a Peranakan family, food has always played a big role in my family gatherings, as well as get-togethers with close friends. As a child, I have always loved being around the kitchen to help my mother out be it chopping up the vegetables or pounding various spices. To learn about the ingredients, experience new smells and see how each dish is being lovingly prepared and cooked.
My mother is a fantastic cook. I grew up watching her prepare meals for family, friends, people from our church and hosting numerous dinner gatherings in our home. I got my love for cooking from her, and I love hosting dinners for friends and family.
On her motivations for starting up Jean’s Private Kitchen…
I found that there was a lack of authentic Asian food available in Europe. One could find plenty of restaurants that claimed to offer Chinese, or even Singaporean cuisine, but these dishes were very different from the ones that I had back home. I had been living abroad for eight years then, and the long time spent abroad made me determined to correct the misconceptions that the Europeans may have about our local cuisine.
When I was in Italy, I started out by hosting dinners for friends, and cooked Asian dishes to introduce them to our local flavours. I started Jean’s Private Kitchen in Geneva as I felt that Peranakan dishes formed a niche market. It was a unique way of promoting our local cuisine and culture to my customers.
On her aspirations…
Hamburg has offered me amazing business opportunities. There are a few exciting works in progress in terms of business development, so I am excited about what the days ahead have in store for me. I would love to be a food ambassador for Singapore one day!
[icegram campaigns=”612″]
