INTERVIEW: Chef Ivan Yeo, founder of 1925 Brewing Co — "Food must first fill the spirit, then the stomach"

·Lifestyle Contributor

1 March 2021 at 1:44 am·7-min read

SINGAPORE — Chef Ivan Yeo is the proverbial jack of all trades, and, surprisingly, a master in everything he finds interest in. Having dabbled extensively in the wider field of Arts, Yeo now finds himself in a monogamous relationship with food, churning out creations inspired by Teochew cuisine over at 1925 Brewing Co. at Joo Chiat.

Like the perfectionist that he is, Ivan has done so well in this chosen profession that he was awarded Asian Cuisine Chef for 2020 by the World Gourmet Summit. I had an opportunity to pick the mind of this multi-hyphenate in his quest.

How would you describe what you do to someone you’re meeting for the first time?

I am the founder of The 1925 Brewing Co. alongside my brother and uncle. Operationally, they oversee the brewery while I handle the holistic experience of beer and food pairing. Often enough, I would be working in the kitchen when there are off-menu or omakase menus required to be served out.

As a child, what did you aspire to be when you grew up?

When I was younger, I aspired to walk in the footsteps of my father who was a fireman with the Singapore Fire Department. As I grew older, three interests became obvious—arts, music, and cooking.

I devoted my time equally to all three pursuits, and I enjoyed them very much. Eventually, it became a tireless dedication of almost 15 years in the Arts industry, working and creating as a designer. But my zealousness for Art slowly eroded, and I realised I was getting tired of having to make for people—I felt like Art should no longer be a tool I weld for people, but myself.

I didn’t have much luck with music either. Arts and music had been the only two interests I knew and was confident in making it into a viable career, especially now that I'm married.

That's when I escaped into cooking and hosting small dinners for friends in our new home. It rekindled memories of times when I hosted barbecues for my colleagues or even a course by course dinner to visit guests. Inevitably, the idea of becoming a restaurateur quickly seeded in my mind.

Chaoshan ceviche. (PHOTO: 1925 Brewing Co.)

What has been, for you, the most unexpected consequence or effect of being crowned Asian Cuisine Chef of the Year for the year 2020 by World Gourmet Summit?

It was an unexpected honour and a positive surprise and acknowledgement for my team, but I was hardly impressed by the award in terms of what it meant for me. Undoubtedly, the award was a nod by the industry in appreciation and acknowledgement of my direction and vision. Still, for me, I felt I was undeserving as I have barely scratched the surface of what I had hoped to achieve—to thrust Teochew cuisine into the global spotlight.

As months went by, I could feel I was trying harder than necessary to live up to the gravity of the award, messing up my progress in the process. I was innovating for the sake of innovation, creating for the sake of creation, and cooking because I had to be seen and regarded as a serious chef.

The interesting thing is, sometimes when you stop, you will go further—so that's what I did. I stopped trying to live up to the award and reminded myself what it was like to cook again. Cooking had to be for the people at the table, their nod of appreciation and the contented sigh after dinner. Most importantly, cooking helped me materialise my ideas through the medium of Teochew cuisine.

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Danggui chicken. (PHOTO: 1925 Brewing Co.)

What, in your opinion, is the most underrated ingredient a chef should use more often?

I think too few chefs work with fish and also because too few people eat fish. Fish is more commonly found in a Japanese or Chinese restaurant, and more often than not, presented in ways that are so predictable and single-dimensional. In the 1925 Brewing Co. Joo Chiat, not only do we cure fresh fish, we dry, pickle and ferment fish into a plethora of products that elevate taste to a whole new level.

Bones are cured and smoked over a charcoal fire over five to six months before it’s cleaned out and then ground into a powder and added to almost every dish on our menu. Fresh fish is cured with salt and air-dried before it is sliced thinly and used in our Chaoshan Ceviche, a dish of cured fish drizzled with juices of lime and grapefruit and served as part of a salad. The fish heads are flash-fried and then grilled before serving as an off-menu special of Assam Fish Head Curry.

What is the most significant change your culinary philosophy has undertaken in your career as a self-made chef?

Since the beginning, I have often struggled with this dilemma: should I be cooking for the customer or for myself? The former would mean an artificial cap to my potential—a mere exercise of creating what people are familiar and comfortable with. The latter would mean surpassing myself but at the expense of not having a single person understanding what I was trying to achieve. Was I an artist or a designer? To create for himself or, for others?

These questions always bugged me until I started questioning the role I wanted my food to play, which reminded me of a piece of advice my grandma used to give: “Food must first fill the spirit, then the stomach, and then all the other senses”. The answer was clear, I could do whatever I wanted as long as I fed people’s spirit and stomachs—aesthetics can come later. There would be days where I would cook for the customer, and there would be days I would cook for myself, both of which, the food would always fill the spirit first.

Plant-based dumplings. (PHOTO: 1925 Brewing Co.)

What excites you the most about being in the food industry today?

There's a burgeoning trend of artisans using local ingredients in the food scene these days, and the most exciting bit is the focus on local or Asian taste profiles.

Previously, many food artisans are focused on imitating Western flavours and cultures and would lament that Asians are not cultured enough to appreciate such “intricacies”. The error is failing to understand that the “food gene” has different characters and roles in the Asian DNA.

Whether such a movement is good or bad is irrelevant because Asian Chefs now have the stage. What we do on that stage and with the opportunity we have now is paramount.

When you look at the dining scene in Singapore today, what is the one thing that gives you hope?

Many F&B businesses, both young and old, fell victim to the economic crisis arising from the pandemic. The lockdown has also shown people the intangibles of dining out and the advantages of having a space to socialise.

And now, with Singapore’s hawker culture listed as UNESCO’s intangible Cultural Heritage list, the conversations and behaviours are so much different from before. People seem to appreciate service staff more, and there are lesser complaints relating to prices. People have started to see the value and understand that the amount they are paying is not just in exchange for the food but also the service and space.

Unfortunately, that consideration is not extended to hawkers. They're mostly overworked, underrated, and underpaid. They are expected only to sell food that the majority population in Singapore can afford. Any increase in prices, even when it's well deserved, are met with hostility. This is one thing I hope can change.