Combine a trip to Singapore and Malaysia with a food festival experience

Imagine combining a holiday in Singapore and Malaysia with a food festival starring some of the biggest culinary names in Asia.

The Kita Food Festival will return in 2023 with a series of dining events and food celebrations to be held from September 27 (Kuching), October 13-16 (Penang), October 19-23 (Singapore) and October 26–30 (Kuala Lumpur).

The festival will feature Malaysian and renowned international chefs for a series of fine dining and casual dining events, highlighted by two Big Sunday Barbecues and The Great Mezze (image, above).

The event will also include a series of TED-style talks and symposiums titled Kita Conversations with discussions starring chefs, food producers, historians, anthropologists and food suppliers talking about what is pertinent to the industry.

The Kita Food Festival is an annual event that celebrates south-east Asian culinary culture.

The goal is to put a spotlight on south-east Asia’s emerging food scene and to offer inspiration for the next generation of food producers.

The word Kita means ‘Us’ or ‘We’ in Malay and as such signifies that the Kita Food Festival is all about embracing different cultures and bringing food lovers together.

The Kita Food Festival was founded by Malaysian-born chef Darren Teoh who is the head chef of fine dining restaurant Dewakan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; along with Australian-born food and travel journalist Leisa Tyler, who has been based in Asia since 1998, and Malaysian-born Adrian Yap, the founder of Tiffin Culinary, who hosts F&B pop-up events.

“Following on the success of our 2021 and 2022 festivals, we are proud to be back and bigger than ever," said Tyler.

"While the 2021 Kita festival was localised due to closed borders, and the 2022 festival featured chefs and speakers from across south-east Asia, 2023 will cast an even wider net, with chefs, culinary historians and business leaders from across the world.

"Kita Food Festival is in the vanguard for culinary initiative, innovation and thought leadership that puts community and creating a robust and sustainable F&B industry at the centre.”

Co-founder Teoh added: "Kita Conversations hopes to be a catalyst for a positive conversation around food that isn't always discussed in this region. A lot of the people we are inviting aren't only good cooks but some of the most original thinkers surrounding food in the world. Kita Conversations is an F&B industry-led event, for the industry."

This year’s guest curator for the Singapore Weekender event is chef Ivan Brehm from Michelin-starred restaurant Nouri and creative space Appetite in Singapore.

Star visitors will include René Stein from a one-Michelin star restaurant Tisane in Nuremberg, Germany, and Thai food expert and chef David Thompson.

To stay up to date with news and upcoming events you can visit https://kitafoodfestival.com/.