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http://www.wnd.sgCHEFS’ DELIGHT
Newer restaurants have come on board in recent times,
including Zén, sister restaurant of three-Michelin-starred
Frantzén in Sweden. Says Tristan Farmer, its executive chef
who orders items such as baby kale leaves, butterfly sorrel
flowers, sprouting broccoli flowers and bronze fennel each
week, “We use a lot of Edmund’s flowers and herbs. The
quality of produce from Farm deLight is outstanding and
of the highest quality. That they grow them in soil is a good
thing for us, as we can keep the herbs and flowers as fresh as
possible and pick them just before serving. The team at Farm
deLight is also working on test samples of new herbs and
flowers which are not currently in their product range, such
as onion flowers, thyme flowers and apple blossoms, for our
new menu planned for later this year.”
Chef Jeremy Gillon of Restaurant JAG is another
supporter, “The team at Farm deLight have made an effort
to understand the Restaurant JAG concept—which is led by
our herbs from Savoie. What they have curated for me is a
selection of micro herbs and micro cresses that complement
the herbs I have from the French Alps. For instance I use
their pea shoots in my seasonal dish of Icelandic langoustine,
fresh green peas from France, and Monarde or Monarda
flowers from the French Alps. The langoustine is paired with
a green pea mash for the buttery and nuttiness flavour, fresh
green pea jus for crunchiness and sweetness and green pea
jus for the bitterness and fresh green flavour. But it’s the
pea cress that completes the dish beautifully. The delicate
pea cress gives it that unique freshness and adds a crunchy
texture. The peppery note from the Monarda flowers gives
the dish a lovely finish.”FUTURE FEED
In five to 10 years, Edmund hopes to reduce the city-state’s
dependence on imported micro cresses and other plants. He
wants to grow better produce that are nutritious and have a
smaller carbon footprint. For now, his greatest satisfaction
lies in seeing chefs using his micro cresses creatively, as
a garnish on a plate, in a sorbet, in a purée or in other
presentations. “My customers are all very nice people.
They’re what keeps me going. They’re truly passionate about
what they do and they are stringent with their standards
because they want quality. It’s so nice to see people like
that.” His admiration for the chef’s craft sees him giving
back in ways such as sponsoring micro cresses for national
culinary competitions or chefs’ charity events. That’s perhaps
his farm’s way of making its presence felt, and his way of
showing that a little goes a long way.