Filipino chef Johanne Siy of Lolla in Singapore wins the Asia’s Best Female Chef Award for 2023. Siy is the first Singapore-based chef to win the award, voted for by the 300-plus members of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy.
This accolade celebrates women in gastronomy who push the boundaries of excellence with their skills, techniques and craft.
The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 in-person awards ceremony will be held on of March 28, 2023 in Singapore, in collaboration with host destination partner Singapore Tourism Board, marking the first full-scale gathering of Asia’s gastronomic community since 2019.
“Johanne’s understanding of the provenance of ingredients and her flair for presenting cuisine that is produce-driven, alongside mindful inclusions of the culinary traditions she grew up with, make her a worthy recipient of this award,” said Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants director for content William Drew.
Siy has been Lolla’s head chef since 2020 and led the restaurant to their first placement in the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 at No.75.
Lauded for its considered emphasis on produce, seasonality and intentional simplicity, Siy’s food spotlights Asian-inspired modern European cuisine with nods to her Filipina heritage. Dishes like crab ‘relleno’, aligue sauce and kaffir lime feature the ‘aligue’ sauce from the Philippines —a paste of river crab tomalley and aromatics – which is served within the crab’s own shell.
Born in Dagupan, Philippines, Siy’s experiences include apprenticing under chefs Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin and Daniel Boulud of Café Boulud and a 4-year tenure at Restaurant André in Singapore. She spent years enriching her skills in Nordic kitchens, farms and forests with stints at Noma and Relae in Copenhagen, and Fäviken in Sweden.
“This is great validation for the hard work my team and I do to better our craft. I am grateful for this platform that enables me to inspire young chefs. I want to shine a spotlight on the remarkable women in our industry, in the hopes that we can thrive by leveraging the symbiosis that a truly egalitarian workforce brings,” Siy says.
