Ep 19: Cooking at the Crossroads, the importance of EQ in the kitchen, and why “local" isn’t always better.

Ivan Brehm

Chef-owner of one Michelin-starred restaurant Nouri & creative interdisciplinary space Appetite

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Ivan Brehm, chef-owner of one Michelin-starred restaurant Nouri (established in 2017) and creative interdisciplinary space Appetite (established in 2018) is recognized for having developed a groundbreaking approach to cuisine which he calls Crossroads Thinking.

In addition to being a chef and restaurateur, Brehm is inspired by interdisciplinary thinking. The 38-year-old Brazilian chef honed his skills in some of the world’s most vaunted kitchens including Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York; Andoni Luis Aduriz’s Mugaritz in San Sebastian; and Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, as well as his Experimental Kitchen, in Bray.

Collectively, his professional experiences are significant. His time spent under the tutelage of each culinary iconoclast in his early career exposed Brehm to an incredibly rich diversity and contributed to a unique perspective of interconnection as they are expressed in the fields of cuisine, as well as philosophy, science, arts, and culture.

In the ensuing years, Brehm has applied the rigours of research and development to his work in the kitchen. He has done this while also embracing his passion for philosophical and anthropological thought. Over time, Brehm has distilled his practice down to Crossroads Thinking.

“Crossroads Thinking is my attempt at highlighting the interdependence of things using food and other forms of expression as a point of departure,” the curious chef explains. “It suggests that no one — no thing — exists in isolation and all things influence one another. Cooking food this way to connect with guests in a way that is deeper and more meaningful to both diners, chefs and servers alike.”

Brehm has Culinary Art degrees from Senac, in his native Brazil, and the Culinary Institute of America. After his time at Per Se in New York and Mugaritz in San Sebastian, he worked at Paco Roncero’s La Terraza del Casino in Madrid before travelling to Italy where he found himself learning about wine-making and the precious food traditions of Piemonte. In 2006, he moved to London and worked under Claude Bosi at Hibiscus in London before spending over four years with Heston Blumenthal.

In 2012, he moved to Singapore to establish the kitchen at Bacchanalia which earned a Michelin star under his leadership. He left the now closed restaurant in 2017 and opened Nouri which earned its first Michelin star shortly after. In 2018, he established Appetite first as a virtual research centre, and then — in the midst of a global pandemic — as a creative space at the intersection of food, art and music. The success of this unique space is a testament to people's interest in content rich and meaningful experiences. Brehm has called Singapore home for over a decade.

On this episode, Ivan joins host Mitchell Davis and discusses Cooking at the Crossroads, the importance of EQ in the kitchen, and why “local" isn’t always better.

Follow Ivan on Instagram @ivanbrehm.

For more on Ivan and his work, visit: www.appetitesq.com and www.nouri.com.sg.