There’s no surprise Singapore is Asia’s rising culinary destination. Food is big business in the little red dot, with its famous cuisine being a confluence of Malay, Indonesian, Indian, and European flavours. Cooking courses in Singapore are increasingly drawing local home gourmands, tourists, and overseas professional chefs to come to the country and immerse in its culinary offering.

The attention is well deserved. Last year, 52 restaurants in Singapore received Michelin stars, the highest since the Michelin Guide was introduced in the country six years ago.

With a cuisine that is as eclectic as its people, taking up cooking courses in Singapore enables zealous learners not only to make their way through a professional kitchen but also to learn a diversity of cultures. Culinary courses in Singapore open the portico to an experience where food enlivens the palate, and the creativity on every plate pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.

Here are 7 reasons to take a cooking course in Singapore:

Reason 1: Learn the local cuisine

Taking up a cooking course in Singapore can give you an in-depth understanding of the local cuisine. Learn to cook Singapore classics  like chicken satay with peanut sauce, Char kway teow – an iconic stir-fry rice noodle dish – and Gula Melaka sago, a popular dessert of Malay origin made by boiling pearl sago in water and serving it with a dollop of sugar palm syrup.

Palate Sensations Culinary School has Singaporean Classics classes starting 26th January. Facilitated by Chef Loreta Quitoles, this 3-hour class comes packed with learning and hands-on execution of culinary techniques that will help you prepare epic Singaporean dishes that burst in your mouth with delicious flavours.

Another beloved Singaporean cooking is Zi Char. Derived from the original Hokkien term Tze char, Zi Char is Singlish for “cook and fry”, and describes home-cooked fried Chinese dishes prepared for sharing (so expect a big batch when you order it from a local coffee shop).

Palate Sensations Culinary School’s Singapore Zi Char classes, beginning on 29th January, feature Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu, sweet and sour pork, cereal prawns, coffee pork ribs, and sambal kangkong.

Finally, it’s not a cooking course on Singaporean local cuisine if it doesn’t include laksa! Palate Sensations Culinary School offers Cooking with Friends – Singapore Food Lah! Over three hours, you’re invited to grab a friend and, together, learn to cook beloved Singaporean dishes including ondeh ondeh, laksa, and chicken satay with peanut sauce. Classes are available year round.

Reason 2: Enhance your cooking skills

Whether you are a home gourmand desiring to elevate your cooking to a professional level, or a professional seeking to sharpen your skills or widen your culinary horizon, taking up cooking courses in Singapore can help you improve your cooking skills in general.

One of Palate Sensations Culinary School’s most popular classes focusses on western cuisine. Learn fundamental knife skills, the various ways to cut meat and vegetables, and master the art of mise en place. Acquiring these skills can spell the difference in terms of the quality of the food you will be able to prepare yourself.

Reason 3: Create a unique culinary experience

Taking a cooking course in Singapore can give you the opportunity to create a unique culinary experience. While recipes are available for free on Google, YouTube, or other social media platforms, nothing compares to understanding first-hand the principles of culinary arts, and applying techniques that can only be learned from seasoned chefs.

Learn why it is important to have mise en place, how to know meat is already cooked inside, what to do to achieve clear, silky, and delicious natural broth, and how to be efficient and waste-less in the kitchen! Then, share this new-found knowledge and newly acquired skills with your family and friends. Better yet, impress them with a restaurant-quality dish you prepared yourself!

Reason 4: Meet like-minded people

Do you like people who love to eat? Do you relate more with those who have a “seafood” diet? Do you subscribe to the belief that life is short, therefore, have your dessert first?

There is nothing more that bonds us strongly as humans than food. Food is the universal connector that bridges us, transcending language and other barriers. Taking a cooking course in Singapore is not only an experience that will enable you to learn new skills; it may also present a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded people—those who share your passion for good food and the joy of eating!

Signing up for a culinary course in Singapore may also lead to finding new friends, networking with new business connections, and who knows, it might just be the place to find a new love!

Reason 5: Expand your career options

Taking up a culinary course in Singapore could be your ticket to landing a professional career in the F&B industry. If you are a home gourmand wanting to enter the exciting world of a professional café or restaurant service, then taking foundational cooking courses in Singapore can give you the experience of being in a professional kitchen. If you are already a professional chef wanting to venture into different cuisines, then taking a cooking course in Singapore may also give you the right exposure and experience.

Taking a cooking course in Singapore is worth your investment as it can open up new career opportunities for you. At Palate Sensations Culinary School, our Chef In Training Culinary Foundations class has seen many budding chefs land professional careers post-graduation. Others have opened their own restaurant and café and are successful in their food business. Still others have started hosting private dinners.

Widen your culinary possibilities through a cooking course in Singapore.

Reason 6: Learn from experienced chefs

Anybody can read and follow a recipe, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that that person can cook. By signing up for a cooking course in Singapore, you will have the opportunity to learn directly from experienced chefs. While culinary principles offer you important guideposts to help you succeed, professional and seasoned chefs will impart lessons to you that can be learned only through years of experience.

The advantage of learning directly from the chefs is that the techniques you will acquire have already been tried and tested. Learning from chefs will also nurture your creativity and inventiveness in the kitchen, something that merely following a recipe won’t be able to do.

Reason 7: Enjoy a fun and engaging hobby

Taking a cooking course in Singapore may be the start of a life-long hobby that sparks joy in your life! You will find that cooking is engaging, and is far from being a chore at all! Cooking can ignite your passion for delighting others with your food, for entertaining, and for getting together!

At Palate Sensations Culinary School, we have over the years nurtured an active community of home gourmands and culinary professionals who share our mission of endowing others with the gift of learning. We chose to teach cooking because it is nurturing by nature, and we get a huge kick every time we see our students succeed in the paths they chose in life. The journey for them began by signing up for a cooking course in Singapore, and it has taken some of them to many destinations around the world.

Taking a cooking course in Singapore is an investment with life-long returns. To find a cooking course in Singapore, visit our cooking classes.

By Ping Manongdo