Cover Chef de cuisine Jordan Keao
Chef de cuisine Jordan Keao
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Humans have been cooking with wood-fire since antiquity, but for Butcher's Block's Jordan Keao, it remains the best way to cook today
Elvis Presley famously crooned about the magic of heavenly Hawaii. Thanks to Jordan Keao, Singapore gets to savour some of its glorious cooking styles too.
By focusing on wood-fire cooking methods, the chef de cuisine at Raffles Singapore recreates and reinterprets traditional methods of food preparation in his home kitchen. Growing up in Hawaii, food was almost always cooked outside, over the scorching flames of burning wood. It’s a style that he not only loves, but is also an expert in, perfecting his art and style over many years of practice. Also an expert butcher, Keao’s culinary focus is both traditional and creative, paying homage to a prehistoric skill while also adapting it to provide a refined dining experience.
Experience and instinct is of utmost importance, he says, adding that most times, wood-fire elevates the flavours and textures of each component better than a stove or oven ever could. We speak to the Hawaii native about his passion for wood-fire cooking, and how he has incorporated his heritage in the restaurant’s latest Summer Tour de Force menu.
In case you missed it: Revolver’s chef-owner Saurabh Udinia on how he honours his Indian roots with wood-fire cooking
Above Smoked sashimi, N25 caviar, herb dashi
Above Western Australian marron
Smoked sashimi, N25 caviar, herb dashi
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What do you find special about wood-fire cooking and why is it important to you?
I respect how every time you cook with wood-fire it's a different experience and there’s no recipe or instructions you can follow, it’s all about experience and instinct.
How did your Hawaiian heritage and upbringing fuel your passion for wood-fire cooking?
Growing up in Hawaii we cook a lot with wood-fire outside and rarely cook in our homes. I grew up having to help my mom build the fire for dinner and assist with cooking.
What unique qualities does wood-fire cooking bring to ingredients, and how do you showcase them in your dishes?
The flavour that wood-fire gives food can’t be replaced with a seasoning or anything else. It’s very distinct. For most ingredients, I find that they taste better when cooked over wood-fire instead of the stove or the oven. We strive to showcase all the different flavours and forms of cooking with wood-fire, including both ambient heat and slow roasting above the fire.
How did your experiences in French and Japanese cuisine shape your current cooking style?
I believe I became a better chef because of my different experiences and cooking styles. It has made me a multidimensional chef with many different ways of looking at ingredients and cooking styles.
Above Butcher's Block
Butcher's Block
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Could you share more about your Tour de Force summer menu and how it showcases your cooking style and Hawaiian heritage?
This summer we have chosen to bring more Hawaiian heritage to the menu and showcase the similarities between Hawaii and Singapore. We have a smoked sashimi poke on the summer tour de force, highlighting a very traditional Hawaiian dish. This dish also includes candlenut, which we call kukui nut in Hawaii. We also have a shaved ice dessert which is a very refined version of the Hawaiian shaved ice, and is also similar to ice kacang. Another menu item, the pork trio dish–made using Western Plains whole pork which we butcher ourselves– is also inspired by the Hawaiian technique of cooking the whole pig in the ground with fire and banana leaf.
What challenges do you face when infusing your own style and heritage into your dishes for a Singaporean audience?
The flavours of Hawaii are actually very close and similar to Singapore’s. This makes it a very nice addition to the food scene here in Singapore.
What’s your vision for Butcher’s Block’s culinary direction as chef de cuisine, and how do you plan to lead your team to success?
We strive to make everything ourselves. We do our own butchering, curing, preserving, ageing etc. We want to deal directly with farms and fisheries, take these amazing ingredients and apply them with touches of fire to create unique flavours and experiences for our guests.
What advice would you give to aspiring chefs interested in exploring wood-fire cooking and incorporating their heritage into dishes?
Cooking with fire takes a lot of experience, but it simply starts with lighting the fire and exploring the possibilities. Failure is okay because it will always provide you with something to learn.
