Connections: A Pop Up Dinner Event with former Palate Sensations student Chef Derrick Kwa
How does food stimulate conversations that reveal ourselves?
Beyond being a universal connector, how is food an enabler of deeper human connections?
This November, Palate Sensations is proud to welcome back to the studio a former student and now successful chef, Derrick Kwa, in a brand new pop up dinner experience, “Connections: 7 Unveiling Questions, 7 Stimulating Courses.”
Chef Derrick will serve scrumptious meals while setting the table for more honest and open conversations that lead to cherished relationships among friends, families, and sweethearts.
The pop up dinner experience is set to have an initial run on 20-21 and 27-28 November and is priced at S$95 per person.
As the menu suggests, Connections features seven unveiling questions over seven stimulating courses in a restaurant-style dinner event.
Guests start with a pleasant opener and nibble on some carrot crisp, sample a coconut curry, carrot juice reduction, and carrot green oil over conversation starters, like “What would constitute a perfect day for you?”
The conversation deepens as each participant moves towards each course. “Would you rather have the body or mind of a 30-year-old for the rest of your life?,” rolls out question #2, as course #2 of braised pork rib, coffee mushroom glaze, and sweet corn cappuccino is served.
Asked about how this concept was birthed, Derrick shares that it all began when he asked himself the question, “What is a meal for?”
“As much as the food is important when you go out for a meal, I believe that what’s equally or even more important is sharing that moment with the people you’re there with, building a memory together, and connecting with people you’re dining with,” he shares.
This led him to research on questions people should ask to nurture deeper connections, instead of just asking the usual “how was your day” question.
At Connections, both dishes and questions are especially curated to encourage diners to think about that question, ask it to each other, and talk about it over dinner.
Despite not growing up around much cooking and food, Derrick fell in love with culinary arts and celebrating the love of food since completing Palate Sensations Chef in Training Culinary Foundations in 2013.
Chef Derrick Kwa
“The Chef in Training course felt like a good starting point. It was a really good exposure to foundational cooking ideas and basic techniques,” Derrick shares.
Palate Sensations Culinary School Chef In Training Foundations class introduces Western culinary techniques over eight sessions. Students learn precision knife skills and are exposed to ingredients and culinary techniques that are common to us.
At the end of the course, students acquire the ability to create restaurant-quality dishes. The Foundations course is also the prerequisite to advancing towards the Intermediate course.
Derrick now works with Chef Ace Tan of 1-VU for his Progressive Asian Popup Series. Previously, he interned at fine dining restaurants in Singapore, Canada, and Spain, completed a culinary diploma in Canada, and worked for a year in Sri Lanka as the Group Chef for Wilde & Co (a group of boutique hotels across the island).
Derrick is also soon to launch a podcast series titled, PlateStories, where he interviews chefs across the globe about emerging food trends, techniques, and tastes.
Book Connections: Pop-up dinner on 20, 21 & 27, 28 November!. Celebrate the connections that make us human over a 7-course tasting menu, priced at $95.
Book here for the Chef In Training Foundations class. The next update is on 14 November 2020: https://www.palatesensations.com/book-classes/chef-in-training
