 One of Singapore’s leading food gurus, Violet is known as much for her cooking as for her opinions on food.
She’s considered one of the leading authorities on Asian cuisine.
In November 2004 Violet was the Chef de Mission for the Singapore chefs who cooked and made presentations on Singapore food at the CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA’S WORLDS OF FLAVOURS festival at the Napa Valley Campus.
Earlier in 2004, Oon, along with Joyce Jue and Chris Yeo of San Francisco, gave a presentation on Singapore food for the IACP
(International Association of Culinary Professionals) annual conference in Baltimore to much acclaim.
She’s been Singapore’s Food Ambassador to the USA, Britain and Australia and has been sent abroad by the Singapore Tourism Board to chef at food promotions in the USA, Australia and Britain.
Violet is a leading food consultant and her clients include organizations like IE Singapore (International Enterprise Singapore), USA Potatoes and Asia Pacific Breweries and she is often commisioned to develop recipes for companies like Kikkoman and Airpork from Australia.
As a party planner and food events creator Violet has created spectacular parties and launches for the Sentosa Development Corporation of Singapore, Goldman Sachs, Conde Nast Traveler and the ASEAN Council of Women’s Organisations.
Her most exciting F&B consultancy was for the private dinner for the King and Queen of Norway in October 2004 during their Majesties’ state visit to Singapore. Violet played host during the dinner on behalf the Norwegian bank DNBNor.
Violet Oon has been commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board to be the Food Consultant for the IMF (International Monetary Fund) meeting in Singapore in September 2006, for the 4 official social events, including a dinner at the Istana.
Her creative culinary events have included unusual COOKING PARTIES for Hewlett Packard and Tiger Beer Export when dinner guests cooked for their supper and sat down to a luxurious meal as they cooked it.
In November 2002 Violet guest cheffed at a prestigious James Beard House Dinner and in October 22, 2003, she appeared in the television series Sara’s Secrets over The Food Network in the USA with host Sara Moulton.
Violet created a feast titled Sensational Singapore.
She is also a leading cookbook author in Singapore, having written three books titled Peranakan Cooking, Violet Oon Cooks and A Singapore Family Cookbook. On the international arena, she has co-authored the Curry Cookbook in German published by Teubner Publications. She started her career as a music critic in 1971 for a
Singapore newspaper and in 1987, she launched her own food magazine
called THE FOOD PAPER.
Born in 1949, Violet is a Singapore Nonya, belonging to a rich culture which is a blend of the native Malay of Singapore and the Chinese immigrants who came down south to the Nanyang (the South Seas) to make their fortunes in the 19th century. Nonya cuisine is the first and most innovative fusion cuisine of Singapore, representing a marriage of the East and East. |
