From waste to wonder: Will Goldfarb’s vision at Room4Dessert and Air CCCC

“A hundred square metres then, one hectare now, in 11 years,” Goldfarb recounts when describing the evolution of Room4Dessert. It is not merely a narration of expansion, but rather, a charter of the growth of what is possible when a chef truly commits to place. Starting in 2014 with limited resources, the restaurant has grown from that modest 100sqm space to a one‑hectare campus that includes on the premises the Powder Room, a café cum candy shop cum tea room, and Shelter Island, where over 300 plant varieties thrive alongside a Miyawaki‑inspired forest of more than 200 tree species. “Our philosophy has always been simple: we grow, don’t build. We’ve let the land lead the way, allowing nature, not architecture, to set the rhythm,” shares Goldfarb.

He did not start out with grand sustainability manifestos though. “When I first arrived in Bali, I wasn’t thinking about closed‑loop systems in any formal sense,” Goldfarb admits. “I just wanted to make desserts that make people smile, using ingredients well and that feel connected to the place.” That modest beginning has since evolved into something far more significant. Goldfarb’s self‑described “fixed axes of creativity” approach reads like a formalised framework that honours the ingredient. “Unique products have fresh and exciting flavours when handled with love,” he explains. “Every part of the ingredient is useful if you keep looking.” 

Through the hands of Goldfarb, a single cacao pod from the island’s Samsaman plantation, sourced through local producer Primo Chocolab, becomes an entire universe of possibility. For instance, the cacao pulp is turned into marshmallow featured in the Smores dessert course that diners get to roast over a fire pit fuelled by dry cacao husks.

In case you missed it: It’s not goodbye, Imamura, just see you soon in Bali and Tokyo

This philosophy has attracted what he modestly calls “partners in this journey”—a stream of professional chefs who make pilgrimages to Room4Dessert to seek understanding of genuine sustainability. Goldfarb’s greatest insight about these visits reveals both his influence and his humility: “I think the biggest opportunity in sharing our approach is to show that sustainability is not about money and especially not about building. It’s about growing, restoring and developing.”

For the uninitiated, the Room4Dessert experience defies conventional dessert boundaries. Rather than strict pastry offerings, it presents a tasting menu built around dessert elements in every course, allowing ingredients such as local tuna, duck and beef to coexist with sweet preparations. There is also a strong emphasis on self‑reliance, demonstrated from the sourcing of herbs and spices—think roselle, lemon basil, oregano and marigold tips—from the backyard food forest. “From egg shells for soil restoration or organic compost to reforestation and simply feeding people, everything that we do is to heal through food,” Goldfarb explains. “That’s our recipe for a sweet life.”

The year 2018 was a triumphant one for Goldfarb, who elevated pastry literature with the release of his book Room for Dessert, which is part cookbook, part memoir, and received worldwide attention when he starred in Netflix’s Chef’s Table: Pastry. In 2021, in recognition for his innovative work at Room4Dessert, he was named The World’s Best Pastry Chef—a prestigious title conferred to him by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Fast forward to early 2024 and the opening of Air CCCC in Singapore’s Dempsey Hill—one that pushes the agenda for a circular future to greater heights. The highly anticipated collaboration with Matthew Orlando, chef‑founder of the now‑defunct Amass in Copenhagen, and Indonesian restaurateur Ronald Akili demonstrates a more refined, purpose‑aligned business partnership, born from shared vision. 

Named with a nod to American basketball player Michael Jordan’s legacy—“When we chose the name, I was actually thinking about Michael Jordan,” Goldfarb shares with a laugh—Air CCCC operates on the principles of awareness, impact and responsibility. Where Room4Dessert pioneered radical locality, Air CCCC advances to circularity, expanding the philosophy from place‑based to universal application.

In the former CSC Dempsey Clubhouse—built in the 1970s for civil servants on the grounds of what was previously a nutmeg plantation in the mid‑19th century—corn husks become spice; cocoa skins transform into ice cream; yesterday’s black rice evolves into tomorrow’s treasure porridge; fish bones become crackers with the sort of casual innovation that would leave budding chefs reaching for their notebooks. The menu also encourages dialogue on seasonality that changes in response to land, weather and culinary curiosity. Think rosella used as local duck glaze; hibiscus leaves used to perfume broths; and makrut lime leaves featured as gelato. 

Even the dining room participates, decked out with table lamps crafted from recycled plastic, furniture made from recycled timber and styrofoam, and operable façades and glass panels that blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. “So it’s not just about food; it’s about showing that creativity can transform anything, from bones to beans to furniture,” Goldfarb explains.

What distinguishes Goldfarb from the growing chorus of sustainability‑conscious chefs is not merely technique; it is the scale of his influence and the depth of his commitment. He credits Orlando as his reference point for zero‑waste innovation, acknowledging that “he can make anything out of anything and is the reference point for this direction in contemporary cooking”. What Goldfarb has done is take these principles and scaled them across two vastly different environments, proving their adaptability and power. 

Case in point: the current Season 19 menu at Room4Dessert features Orlando’s signature philosophy, adapted to create the Coulant, an homage to Michel Bras’s timeless chocolate cake with a core of molten chocolate. “We make the ‘chocolate’ by taking coffee grounds from the Powder Room and grinding them,” Goldfarb reveals.

Goldfarb’s fundamental belief remains unchanged: the number one thing is making people smile, making people happy. This seemingly simple philosophy underpins his entire career, explaining his willingness to abandon a successful New York venture that compromised his vision. “I don’t do this as a business, and we try never to talk finance at the dinner table,” he affirms when pressed about the economics of his labour‑intensive processes. “At the end of the day, we want to provide great food and service at a fair price. A luxury, yes, but an accessible one.” 

In this era of social media, where restaurants trumpet sustainability credentials while changing nothing fundamental, his response reveals both strength and diplomacy. “We don’t judge anyone. We just try to do our best every day. For us at Air, sustainability isn’t a marketing line—it’s real, it’s daily, and it costs time and effort,” Goldfarb says. “Instead of wasting energy critiquing others, I’d rather focus on proving that the hard way can also be the joyful way.”

At both of his concepts, garden tours and fermentation classes sit alongside world‑class dining experiences. “We aren’t preachy places,” Goldfarb emphasises. “Things should be delicious first, and if this prompts a deeper dive into understanding how our food choices shape our world, even better.” His restaurants do not just feed people; they demonstrate possibilities, going beyond waste reduction and proving that the most radical act in contemporary dining might simply be refusing to waste anything.

From his early days parking cars and busing tables to his current status as industry luminary, Goldfarb’s journey illustrates how setbacks can become foundations and that obstacles can become catalysts for deeper purpose. When asked what keeps him awake at night, his answer, far from the expected tales of supply‑chain anxieties or regulatory nightmares, reveals the true source of his energy. “We play to figure things out,” he says. “I have the same fresh energy for creation as when I was [much] younger. Seeing how our work helps a new generation grow is the best reward.”

NOW READ

Agent Fermentation: The best fermentation-led restaurants in Singapore

Fermented heritage: 10 time-honoured traditional Asian brews and spirits

Sustainability and flavour: The rise of fermentation in Asia’s top restaurants