Australian fruits culinary training in Singapore

Australian fruits inspire young chefs at Singapore culinary training workshop 

40 culinary students and young chefs came together in Singapore last week for an afternoon of culinary learning, product discovery, and creative exchange.

The Australian Fruits Culinary Training Workshop was held at Temasek Culinary Academy at Temasek Polytechnic.

The training formed part of the broader ASEAN-Australia Centre-funded Australian Fruits Culinary Project, being delivered by Avocados Australia, which aims to strengthen people-to-people, education, and agrifood connections between Australia and Southeast Asia. Through culinary training, recipe development, and industry engagement, the program encourages young chefs across the region to explore new ways of using Australian fruits in contemporary Southeast Asian cuisine.

The session, delivered in collaboration with the Singapore Junior Chef Club, provided participants with practical exposure to premium Australian fruits, including Australian avocados, summerfruit, and table grapes, with a focus on flavour, texture, seasonality, handling, and creative menu applications.

Fruitful chef-led training advocates for quality and versatility

Led by Chef Yew Eng Tong of Oak & Olives Catering, it demonstrated how Australian fruits can be used beyond fresh consumption and incorporated into savoury dishes, desserts, sauces, garnishes, and modern foodservice concepts. The workshop also featured selected recipes by Audra Morrice, Australian Avocados Culinary Ambassador, offering approachable inspiration for incorporating Australian fruits into contemporary Southeast Asian cuisine.

Participants explored practical topics such as fruit selection, ripeness management, storage, preparation techniques, recipe ideas, yield management and economics. These technical elements were supported by live demonstrations and tasting, allowing participants to better understand how Australian fruits perform in different culinary formats.

Among the recipes and concepts showcased were Grape Granita with Salmon Carpaccio, Jamon Iberico and Nectarine Bite, and Avocado Chocolate Muffin.

The dishes highlighted thoughtful flavour pairing and contrast: grapes brought a clean, refreshing sweetness to balance the richness of salmon; nectarines added brightness, acidity, and natural juiciness against the savoury depth of jamon; while avocado provided moisture, creaminess, and body in a sweet baked application.

The next (delicious) steps

The session generated strong interest in the upcoming Australian Fruits Recipe Competition, which forms the next stage of the project. Participants were encouraged to apply what they learnt, translating it into practical, contemporary dishes for Southeast Asian menus.

It also helped strengthen awareness of Australian fruits among Singapore’s culinary community across plant-forward dishes and creative appetisers to desserts, beverages, and premium foodservice offerings.

Moving forward, the project will continue to build on this momentum through further recipe development and engagement activities. Selected recipes and standout concepts may be showcased through project communications, recipe content, and future promotional activities.

The Australian Fruits Culinary Project will continue to support stronger connections between Australian produce, Southeast Asian culinary creativity, and the next generation of chefs.

This article appears as part of the 22 May 2026 issue of Guacamole, our e-Newsletter.