Every chef knows that his work is only ever as good as the ingredients and tools he works with. Our Beyond the Table video series takes you beyond the pomp and grandeur of the restaurant dining room and into the lives of local farmers and kitchen artisans - the ones who toil quietly at their craft to help make your dining experience complete.
Four years ago, Bjorn Low traded in a career in advertising to co-found urban farming consultancy Edible Garden City. His goal: to turn unused commercial rooftops into gardening spaces for hotels and restaurants, and fashion lush streetscapes that are as beautiful as they are delicious. It was then, too, that the social enterprise started working with the Pathlight School for children with autism to implement an educational urban farm.
Earlier this year, they took that partnership even further by developing a training centre and commercial farm for the Autism Resource Centre and SG Enable. Within two 20-foot containers on the premises of the Employability and Employment Centre (E2C) in the Enabling Village in Bukit Merah, Mr Low and his team help to train and provide employment opportunities to autistic adults, while supplying fresh, locally grown herbs and microgreens to the city’s top restaurants.
Watch the video to find out more about Edible Gardens’ latest socially conscious initiative, and why Mr Low believes Singapore has every potential to be a driver of the global grow-your-own food movement.
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