Filipino chef Johanne Siy of Lolla in Singapore has taken home the accolade of being Asia’s Best Female Chef Award for 2023. Voted for by the 300-plus members of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, the award celebrates women in gastronomy who continue to push the boundaries of excellence with their skills, techniques and craft.
Siy is the first Singapore-based chef to win the prestigious award. She will be honoured as part of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 awards ceremony on March 28, the first full-scale gathering of Asia’s gastronomic community since 2019. The awards and event programme returns to Singapore this year in collaboration with host destination partner Singapore Tourism Board to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, which debuted in the Lion City in 2013.
Siy says: “I am beyond honoured to be receiving this award. It is great validation for my team and I, for all the hard work invested in bettering our craft every single day. I am grateful for this platform that allows me to reach out to so many young chefs to hopefully inspire them to overcome barriers and push boundaries. I want to shine a spotlight on the work of remarkable women in our industry, in the hopes that one day we as a community can thrive and reach new heights by leveraging the symbiosis that a truly egalitarian workforce brings.”
Since its inception, the Asia’s Best Female Chef Award has honoured several recognised female chefs across the continent. Previous winners include Duangporn ‘Bo’ Songvisava from Thailand (2013); Lanshu Chen from Taiwan (2014); Hong Kong’s Vicky Lau (2015); Margarita Forés of the Philippines (2016); May Chow from Hong Kong (2017); Bongkoch ‘Bee’ Satongun (2018) and Garima Arora (2019), both based in Thailand; Korean chef Cho Hee-sook (2020), Shanghai-based DeAille Tam (2021) and Tokyo-based Japanese chef Natsuko Shoji (2022). Visit theworlds50best.com or youtube.com/watch?v=yakN4iXJ0Fw.
