Teoh is one of the founders of the Kita Food Festival. — Photos: Handout
Kita Food Festival, a Malaysian-devised food-driven festival that features exciting dining events, food talks and food events is back for the third year running.
Co-founded by maverick local chef Darren Teoh of one-Michelin starred Dewakan in Kuala Lumpur, as well as Leisa Tyler who owns Weeds & More (a series of farms in Cameron Highlands), and Adrian Yap, who runs Tiffin Culinary, the festival has been a huge success since it was first introduced.
This year’s iteration is bigger and better than ever as it includes dining events in Sarawak, Penang, the Klang Valley and even Singapore.
The festival takes part over a few months, beginning with dining events in Kuching, Sarawak in September and ending with KL on Oct 30.
Stein will be cooking alongside Teoh in a collaborative dinner, one of many that will be happening across the festival’s duration.
Highlights from the festival include a four-hands dinner in Penang with MasterChef New Zealand judge Vaughan Mabee and Kim Hock Su of the Michelin-starred Au Jardin. In KL, expect to be wowed by a two-night dinner at Dewakan on Oct 27 and 28, which will feature Teoh alongside Michelin-starred counterpart Rene Stein from Germany’s Tisane restaurant.
On Oct 28, diners can also enjoy a collaborative dinner at Ignis Kuala Lumpur featuring Malaysia’s own Lroy Lim who will be cooking with one of Japan’s top female chefs – Keiko Kuwakino from the Michelin-starred Sanaburi restaurant in Japan.
The Singapore line-up of events will include even more star-studded collaborations in the ilk of a dinner at Marguerite in Singapore featuring India’s Prateek Sadhu, who has a passion for rediscovering India’s lost ingredients.
Prateek is paired with Marguerite’s Michael Wilson, who is known for his global approach to food.
Kuwakino is one of the Michelin-starred chefs who will be in KL for Kita.
One of the highlights and an important component of the festival is Kita Conversations – which this year will take place in both Singapore and KL and involves celebrated food mavens like cookbook author Anisa Helou (who will be in Singapore) as well as celebrated food historian Khir Johari (who will be in KL and Singapore).
The talks are similar to Ted-talks and involve invigorating discussions and viewpoints on the history, consumption and production of food, specific to South-East Asia.
Tickets for all events can be purchased through www. kitafoodfestival.com.
