How Singapore’s top chefs celebrate Christmas with their families

Head chef, Lolla

“Chefs have the worst holiday traditions. It’s the busiest time of the year for the industry, which translates to overtime and a lot of late nights.  As is the nature of this profession, we are working when everyone is out for the festivities. Having said that, it’s still my favorite time of the year because the energy in the restaurant is just amazing. It’s like having your really big family over for the holidays. 

When we do get a breather, I usually send my kitchen team out to some fine-dining restaurants I think they can learn from. It’s my gift to them to show my appreciation for their hard work. I’ve been doing this since I started at Lolla. Sometime between Christmas and Chinese New Year, we have a celebratory meal with the whole team.

After the busiest period, I would invite family and friends over for a home-cooked meal. Nothing too involved in terms of preparation, but some really good ingredients so everyone can just relax and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a time for reflection and gratitude over the year that has passed and a commitment to the year that will come. Food, Family, Friends. That is my holiday tradition.”

Chef-owner, La Bottega Enoteca and Casa Vostra

“Us Italians are big on Christmas so one can expect the same in the Miscellaneo household. Besides decorating Christmas Trees, my family and I would build “Presepe'' which is a mini figurine set displaying the scene of the birth of baby Jesus, in our living room every year - Presepe making is an Italian custom that started in ancient times. What makes it fun is that we get to personalise our nativity scene and I get to relay traditions to my kids and friends we have over.

Since Christmas is about family and food, we enjoy a large Christmas Eve dinner gathering, then indulge in a Christmas lunch the next day and the opening of presents around the tree. I have spent Christmas in Italy with my family almost every year, except for 2021, when I was unable to return due to Covid restrictions.

In my family there are 2 dishes that will never be missed for Christmas and New Year Eve festivities. Comfort food like meat-filled agnolotti pasta in a rich tomato sauce, and cotechino, which is large sausage made out of various parts of pork, slow cooked over low heat and then served with lentils. The latter dish, in particular, is a traditional auspicious meal that promises a prosperous new year.”

Read more: Where to order the best festive takeaways for a grand Christmas feast in Singapore 2023

Chef-owner, Fiz

“It's a big, extended family gathering at my grandmother's house in Campton, a quaint town just a 1.5-hour drive north of London, where even my Malaysian side of the family join us.

Our celebration centres around a turkey, the star of our feast, accompanied by sage and onion stuffing. We also have potatoes, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts, all roasted alongside the turkey, a tradition we cherish each year. A bread sauce with freshly grated nutmeg is an essential part of our meal, adding a unique flavour. 

The highlight, however, is my grandmother's special gravy. She begins by making a stock from the turkey's giblets and neck, along with the juices from the roast, and then infuses it with sage, onion, thyme, black pepper, and fresh nutmeg. This rich stock is thickened with arrowroot, creating a flavourful complement to the meal. The combination of the turkey, sides, bread sauce, and cranberry sauce truly embodies the festive spirit for us. 

The real magic, though, begins the next day with the leftovers. For lunch, we transform the turkey into delightful sandwiches, affectionately known as “sarnies”. And in a creative twist, the remaining leftovers are turned into a flavourful curry, ensuring that nothing from our festive feast goes to waste.

Festive periods are actually the busiest times for chefs, so getting time off to celebrate Christmas is really a luxury. I still think fondly of the family Christmas dinners and the delicious lunches we make the next day. Those memories are truly precious.”

Chef and co-owner, Canchita and Tinto

“Peru is home to families of very mixed cultures and thus boasts very mixed traditions. Most, however, are Catholics due to the wave of Spanish immigration, so they celebrate Christmas and the holidays around the occasion of the birth of Christ. Nativity decor and more are often put up during the holidays. From our Italian brothers and sisters, we learnt to eat panettones dipped into chocolate milk during this period. Peru also borrows some Chinese influences by employing firecrackers during Christmas to mark the occasion with a bang. 

Peru also observes the tradition of exchanging gifts, but my father and mother had created a new tradition for us. He stopped buying us gifts and instead encouraged us to share something of our own belongings with the children from the orphanage. It really taught us the meaning of the Season of Giving. 

On Christmas Eve, my grandmother used to a cook a whole turkey and suckling pig. After a feast, we will sit together till midnight and light firecrackers at the stroke of twelve. On Christmas Day, we will go visiting family and relatives, where we will be served a lot more panettone that we will dip into more chocolate milk.”

Chef and co-owner, Canchita and Tinto

“In Mexico, we celebrate Las Posadas during the holidays, a nine-day party to mark the nine months of virgin pregnancy of Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. On this occasion, we will visit friends and family with food – the most delicious tamales, pozoles, bunuelos, atoles, ponches and café de olla – which we will eat, drink and make merry over music and more. Children will be making pinatas while adults bond and spend time together. 

On Christmas Eve, it is tradition to have dinner as a family, after which we will count down to Christmas together. At the stroke of midnight, we will exchange gifts and then indulge in more drinking and dancing. 

My family is in the F&B business so I started helping them out when I was 16 or 17 years old. Working in the restaurant is a very important memory for me as we sold roast turkeys throughout the festive period to make money for a good Christmas celebration. We don’t get a lot of sleep during this period because everyone will be involved with the cooking and delivering. Some of my fondest memories growing up is working with my family running on pure adrenaline during this time, stealing naps and waking up to check on the turkeys in the oven. It prepared me for my future life in F&B and I really enjoy it to this day.”

NOW READ

Enjoy a festive private dining experience with Nest at One Farrer

Pan Pacific Orchard knows how to plan a Christmas feast—here’s what awaits gourmands

Where to find the best log cakes in Singapore this Christmas 2023