Engaging external clients, building internal strengths and maximising opportunities. Few would dispute that this ‘golden trio’ of business activities are anything less than highly sought-after goals in our competitive environment today. What distinguishes an organisation from its competition though, is not so much the act of goal-setting alone, but lies instead in the ability to actually meet those targets and deliver solutions that are both timely and relevant.
Fortunately for Unilever Foodsolutions Singapore (UFS), setting lofty goals and possessing the strategies to accomplish them appear to be one and the same. A leading foodsolutions companies in the food and beverage (F&B) industry, UFS has recently launched the Regional Culinary Academy (RCA), its first-ever Singapore professional kitchen demonstration centre designed specifically to meet the needs of those within the F&B industry. Located within one of the historic traditional shophouses along Mohamed Sultan Road, the RCA boasts of high-tech facilities which include a demonstration kitchen and several individual industrial cooking stations.
“This has been a dream for UFS and our Regional organisation for some time, so it’s great that we have finally turned this into reality”, remarked Adam Djokovic, managing director of Unilever Singapore Pte Ltd. “Almost all Unilever Foodsolutions business units across the world have industrial kitchen facilities… (which) allow us to better understand food and cooking techniques, build our culinary credentials and work together with our customers in a ‘real life’ environment.”
Improving Mutual Understanding Communications between both internal and external parties involved are basic elements in every company; yet few organisations are capable of implementing bilateral channels of communication. Traditional foodsolutions practices tend to favour hard-selling methods that push food products onto would-be clients without really understanding whether the product really helps, say a chef, enhance his style of cuisine. With the launch of the RCA in Singapore, UFS hopes to change all that.
“The RCA was designed with two distinct areas within the facility. On entering you will first notice our demonstration kitchen and meeting area. This area is designed primarily for product demonstrations to external customers and training of our team. It is a casual environment well-suited for chefs, operators and our teams to discuss and work with various food concepts and ideas,” said Djokovic. A brief tour of the new, spunky facilities reveals a modern, brightly-lit setting that also doubles up a conference or dining room that’s perfect for facilitating teamwork processes. Located behind the demonstration kitchen is a fully functional industrial kitchen that would stir any chef’s desire to experiment with new food solutions. Possessing the latest state-of-the-art industrial kitchen equipment, the industrial kitchen contains four sparklingly clean training cooking stations together with a single lead cooking station, all amply and safely spaced apart.
“This is where our teams and our customers can work ‘hands-on’ with recipes, concepts and products. We hope these sessions will help us build up our understanding and establish stronger relationships so we can be a more effective partner for our customers,” explained Djokovic on the innovative concept of narrowing the ‘communications distance’ between Unilever and their clients. “Such sessions can range from simple recipe creations to working on the Back of House systems that ensure what looks good on paper can actually work in a real kitchen environment. This allows us to share our unique knowledge with our customers and vice-versa,” he added.
All About Chefmanship Putting the RCA facilities to the test is Chef Yen Koh, current executive chef for UFS. Having previously worked in renowned establishments under the professional guidance of Chef Otto Weibel, and then entering the challenging world of food and beverage research and development, Chef Yen is now responsible for providing both guidance, training and demonstration sessions held within the RCA. And Chef Koh is simply delighted with these latest developments at UFS.
“I’ve had comments from many chefs, saying that the kitchen is very well-structured, with ample and efficient culinary tools for them to use. And they’re also pleased with the individual stations. Although there are larger cooking academies, we believe that personalised attention is more important. Many activities can be held within a cosy area like this, such as combining cooking activities with corporate meetings or brainstorming sessions,” enthused Chef Koh, as he whipped up a tantalising seafood dish in the demonstration kitchen. “Some people think that only Unilever food product demonstrations are held here, but that’s not true. It’s all about food. It’s open for everyone, be it bistros or five-star hotels, so we can share our knowledge with them and vice-versa. There is a reason why this place is called the Regional Culinary Academy.”
RCA it may be, but from a chef’s perspective, being able to speak the same language as foodsolution providers is crucial in providing the feedback necessary for a healthy mutual partnership. UFS has termed this concept of training their internal employees to be culinary-savvy — chefmanship. “Chefmanship is about imparting our knowledge as chefs towards Unilever’s employees, so as to help them understand and speak the same ‘language’ as what we chefs speak, so they’ll know what chefs are talking about. Unilever is not just about selling food products but also about being a solutions provider to our customers and the chefs.”
Assuring words indeed, to be heard from a chef who has already provided numerous demonstrations and training sessions for both Unilever’s internal employees and external clients. “Even directors and executives have dropped by to find out more to explore and see how they can use our services,” he continued, looking rather pleased.
What’s Cooking Next? So what can F&B professionals expect with the launch of the RCA? With exciting events scheduled to take place in the RCA later this year (see inset information), Djokovic thinks that it would leave a positive, lasting impact on both the local and regional F&B industry.
“I believe that this facility is yet another indication of Unilever Foodsolutions committment to the F&B industry in Singapore and beyond. We have a great reputation in the market for providing high quality products and solutions. Having the RCA will take us to another level, further equipping us to deliver not only products and associated services but a unique, lasting customer experience as well. Internally we will benefit immensely as we build our chefmanship in all our people. So over time, our customers will ultimately benefit from partnering an organisation that truly understands their issues and problems and genuinely has the capabilities — people, products and ideas — that will meet their business needs,” said Djokovic confidently, leaving one with the assuring impression that the foodsolutions leader will indeed deliver in a manner that exceeds expectations.
For interested parties, please contact Chef Yen Koh at Tel: (65) 6309 3895 or drop him an email at yen.koh@unilever.com to arrange for an exclusive first-hand experience in RCA.
Upcoming Events To Watch Out For Industry Roundtable Ever wondered how rising global food prices would affect the foodservice industry? Or how food safety regulations actually work? In an upcoming industry roundtable discussion, F&B industry leader Unilever Asia will be spearheading discussions that cover important and pertinent topics that concern all professionals within the foodservice and F&B industry.
The panel will comprise of members that include not only renowned representatives from the foodservice industry, but will also include representatives from the F&B sector such as hoteliers, restaurateurs and chef associations for a holistic, in-depth coverage on these pressing issues.
World Gourmet Summit Culinary Masterclass For those curious to find out more about the Regional Culinary Academy, the upcoming prestigious World Gourmet Summit (WGS) would provide the perfect opportunity to personally experience the professional kitchen first-hand. Once a week, for every week throughout the prestigious WGS event, an exclusive culinary masterclass will be held on the premises of the Regional Culinary Academy. Headed by well-known chef personalities, the culinary masterclasses are definitely worth keeping a lookout for.
More information on these two exciting events to be released in the near future.
Unilever Singapore Pte Ltd 111 Somerset Road #16-05 Singapore Power Building Singapore 238164
Regional Culinary Academy 33 Mohamed Sultan Road #01-02 Singapore 238977
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