Rainforest Cuisine: Mamakan x Andre Chiang
A collaboration between Mamakan and Chef Andre Chiang.
Rainforest Cuisine is the marriage of local sustainability and luxury food. The idea, conceptualised by Mamakan in 2011, intends to protect the depleting rainforest of West Kalimantan by providing the local tribes an alternative source to livelihood rather than taking part in the oil palm and timber industries, the cause of Borneo's rapid deforestation, burnings and haze.
Borneo's primary rainforest is 130 million years old, making it the oldest in the world. There are over 15,000 unique species of flowering plants making it one of the most bio-diverse places on earth. And it has the most incredible wild food that you imagine.
Mamakan says: 'One thing is having a good idea. Another is the implement it. Gosh, did I find myself in deep water - literarily - when travelling to the heart of Borneo for a my first fieldtrip searching for ingredients for the 7 June dinner in Singapore".
She continue: "This is what I learned... Don't expect luxury. Just indulge in a beautiful, serene, amazing adventure. And remember to collaborate with the local tribes, they are the botanists of the forest".
The collaboration was a success and raised over $6,000 was raised to spread the news about the beautiful food from the jungles of Borneo.
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Wild Ambition
Jennifer Chen, The Peak, July 1, 2012 -
Mamakan x Chef Andre Chiang
Cathy Henkel, Virgo Productions, June 12, 2012 -
Singapore Chef Tries New Way to Save Rain Forest
Kaylene Hong, The Wall Street Journal, November 28, 2011 -
Book Submission: Two Designers exploring Sustainability Worldwide
Aart van Bezooyen and Paula Rache, It's not easy being green, July 7, 2011 -
Featuring Mette Kristine Oustrup, Qi Global
Tan Ying Da, Singapore Management University (SMU), April 28, 2011