Young Talents Escoffier – Singapore Selection

Emmanuel Stroobant

Head Judge

Chef-Owner - Saint Pierre

Belgium-born turned Singaporean, Emmanuel Stroobant, 55, is one of the pioneers who helped shape Singapore’s fine dining scene at a time when chefs of his culinary inclination were few and far between. Since he launched Saint Pierre in 2000, he has turned it into one of Singapore’s longest-running French fine dining restaurants and a highly regarded dining institution. Saint Pierre has retained Two Michelin Stars since 2019.

Having spent more than 20 years in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, Emmanuel has developed a signature style of modern French cuisine with an Asian accent. Yoga and the Zen Circle have immensely influenced the evolution of his approach to cooking, inculcating in him the tenets of intuition and mindfulness. Emmanuel’s culinary journey led him to establish Shoukouwa Sushi Restaurant in 2016 and Shoukouwa Shinjidai in 2023.

Instagram: @emmanuelstroobant
Facebook: @emmanuel.stroobant

Daniele Sperindio

Judge

Chef-Owner - I'WA Group

Initiated into the culinary arts from a tender age, Chef Daniele has always been passionate about all thing's gastronomy. With a first job as cheesemonger at the age of 13 in Genova, Chef Daniele began its culinary journey that would bring him to build its fundamentals through culinary school and apprenticeships in both Italy and France.

During his training across the continents, Chef Daniele had trained and worked with talented and ground-breaking Michelin Starred chefs like Gianni Malagoli in Genova, Grant Achatz in Chicago, and Yoshihiro Narisawa in Tokyo.

A lifelong student, Chef Daniele diligently apply a Kaizen approach trough his philosophy continuous improvement, "Knowledge is key, you need to be able to understand the boundaries in order to break them"; he is a member of the United State Sommelier association and the Order of the Knights of Alba, a student of Food Science and Business from the universities Harvard in Boston, USA and Warwick London, UK.

Landing in Singapore in 2012 in search of new culinary horizons, Chef Daniele has soon realized he has found a home-away-from-home.

During his time in the Lion City, he has been nominated several times for awards at the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence and has participated in a leadership position in various culinary institutions; among the most notorious, Group Head chef under award-winning chef Ryan Clift, Executive chef at ATLAS bar (World's 50 Best bars) and Group Executive chef of Il Lido Group.

Chef Daniele left his first mark in 2020 with the launch of his first very own restaurant Art di Daniele Sperindio located in the prestigious National Gallery Singapore, for which he has been awarded one Michelin Star after only 7 months of operations and 3 Forks for the Gambero Rosso guide, and he has maintained them ever since.

Instagram: @chefdanielesperindio, @artdidaniele, @gemmarestaurant.sg, @iwa.group

Eric Low

Judge

Principal Consultant - Lush Epicurean

With over 30 years in the culinary world, Chef Eric Low is a global authority, celebrated for championing Singapore and Teochew heritage cuisines. Beyond culinary management, he excels in food science consultancy and event curation, leaving an imprint on SG Day 2014 London and HSBC Global Banking Dinner in Bangkok 2019.

An award-winning professional, Chef Eric's expertise spans education, media engagement, and brand ambassadorships for Electrolux CSR initiatives. As a certified International Level Culinary Judge, he contributes to competitions across Asia and the Middle East. A prolific culinary journalist and author, Chef Eric has published six cookbooks, three of which received Gourmand Cookbook Awards in 2015 and 2016.

Jeremy Gillon

Judge

Chef-Owner - Restaurant JAG

Hailed from Deauville, France, Chef Jeremy Gillon grew up surrounded by good food and warm hospitality. He trained with renowned chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants in France – at Lyon, Courchevel and Val Thorens, before his first foray into Singapore as the Executive Guest Chef at Me@OUE. In 2018, he opened Restaurant JAG with his business partner Anant Tyagi at Duxton Road. Within the same year of operation, the contemporary French fine dining was awarded its first Michelin Star, an honour it maintained for four consecutive years.

At JAG, Chef Jeremy has the opportunity to bring more than a decade of travel, thought, and experience to fruition, sharing his passions and presenting ‘vegetable stories’ on the plate. Celebrating gastronomic magic of vegetables, the seasons are the catalysing inspiration on the plate. Chef Jeremy and his team pay homage to the yearly seasonal cycle with their distinctive vegetable-centric découverte menu – La Balade du Végétal or The Vegetable Journey.

In October 2023, Restaurant JAG relocates to STPI Robertson Quay, spurring a rejuvenation of his approach and repertoire to surprise the diner, earning himself the sobriquet ‘vegetable whisperer’.

Instagram: @jeremygillon, @restaurantjagsg

Lewis Barker

Judge

Head Chef - Sommer Dining

Lewis started cooking for his family at the age of 11 and formally entered the industry at 15 where he worked part time at Anthony’s, a local fine-dining restaurant. Since then, he has also trained at Australia’s Vue De Monde and Quay restaurant, before becoming a sous chef at Bacchanalia and Vianney Massot Restaurant. Lewis is now the Head Chef at Sommer, which has received three consecutive One Michelin Stars.

“At Sommer, we aim to showcase to you our personal approach on modern European cuisine. Where flavour stands with purpose on each plate and through the seasonality and respect for the ingredients of each dish.”
- Chef Lewis Barker

Instagram: @lbarker_, @sommerdining

Terence Chew

Judge

Terence Chew, a culinary connoisseur, holds over three decades of culinary expertise having left his mark on the world of western cuisine, with a passion cultivated for cooking from a young age.

Chef Terence embarked on his culinary journey after completing a Hotel Catering management program in Singapore. He refined his skills at renowned establishments such as London's Dorchester Hotel and the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. Throughout his illustrious career, he had the privilege of working alongside some of the globe's preeminent chefs, including an apprenticeship with the esteemed Anton Mosimann.