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Anthony Bourdain’s int’l food market to keep it real

SINGAPORE — Visitors to the second day of the World Street Food Congress’ dialogue session were understandably excited to find out more about Anthony Bourdain’s most ambitious project to date: The Emmy Award-winning TV personality, chef and author had previously announced plans for an international food market in the heart of New York City, which features “authentic” street food from around the globe.

Anthony Bourdain. Photo: Reuters

Anthony Bourdain. Photo: Reuters

SINGAPORE — Visitors to the second day of the World Street Food Congress’ dialogue session were understandably excited to find out more about Anthony Bourdain’s most ambitious project to date: The Emmy Award-winning TV personality, chef and author had previously announced plans for an international food market in the heart of New York City, which features “authentic” street food from around the globe.

While Bourdain was not in town for the presentation, his business partner Stephen Werther, WiNK Retail Group CEO and co-founder of Bourdain Market, was present to share more about its design today (April 9). He did not disclose which hawkers, from Singapore or elsewhere, would feature at the market. More details about its location and opening date will be revealed later this month.

Werther did say that while Bourdain led “a big on-camera life where he travels the world and brings food and cultures through the vision of food into people’s homes”, his favourite food in any town is street food, and his favourite city is Singapore, for the way it has embraced its street food culture.

Werther presented a “crazy-looking” floor plan of what they hope the Bourdain Market would be. The design showed the market divided into an authentic hawker centre and a farmers’ market.

Bourdain’s idea of authentic, he shared, was quite straightforward. “He says, if someone comes into the Bourdain Market and has chicken rice, and they’re from Singapore, they had better say: ‘That’s as good as any chicken rice I’ve had at home.’ That is the very high standard by which Tony, myself and (KF) Seetoh (collaborator, food personality) will attempt to execute.”

He emphasised that the project, despite the obvious branding, was not a solo effort. “This is a collaboration with Seetoh, all of Seetoh’s contacts ... a collaboration with all the countries represented in the hawkers’ market. Hopefully, it will be a place where New Yorkers go to discover many of the destinations Bourdain has brought into our homes on TV for the last decade. We just want to bring in the most dangerously delicious street food from around the world.” Complete, it would seem, with a bustling ambience.

“It is meant to be crowded and chaotic because that’s what hawker centres should be. It should activate all of your senses … and, yes, you should stand in line. Why not? It took them a long time to make it. You should be willing to wait in line to buy it.”

Werther presented rough renderings of what the market would look like, highlighting inspirations such as Blade Runner’s set decor and the vibrant back alleys of Tokyo. “It’s a bit more chaotic than how the hawkers’ markets are organised here. Hopefully, it will be as crowded and popular. But it is supposed to be a mash-up of foods, styles, smells, tastes and visuals,” he continued. “New York needs this. New York’s idea of street food, with a few rare exceptions, are sort of new versions of what we call fast casual. And that’s not what this is. It might be casual, but it’s not fast.”

The other half boasts an equally ambitious farmers’ market featuring a similarly widespread selection of fresh and dried products. “Every neighbourhood in New York City used to be anchored by a market.” Werther said. “And New York City’s original street food was oysters. The island of Manhattan used to be surrounded by delicious oysters … And until we polluted the two rivers, that was the original street food with pushcarts full of oysters that were cheap and delicious.”

This would explain plans to include a 1,500 sq ft oyster bar, alongside specialised butchers, a bakery, a tapas bar, a pastry shop and even a tea shop, “but not the usual suspects”.

And to complement what some at this point might be imagining could look like the grand markets of the world under one roof, he added that there are also plans for an outdoor beer garden with an Asian flair.

“I like to think of Bourdain as the UN ambassador of food, and we would like all the countries in the world to send us your ambassadors,” Werther mused. “Yes, it is a for-profit business. Yes, it is his legacy for New York. Yes, it is probably what he will retire on. But we don’t do it for that.”

Concerns about quality and authenticity did resurface, with some asking how they were going to keep the offerings consistently good. This, Werther explained, will depend on their efforts to identify and partner with more experienced and many times multi-generational hawkers.

And, yes, Seetoh added, there will be competition. “It’s food democracy; it’s the reason why Stephen mentioned some stalls might be there for a few weeks, a few months or a few years, because we have the chance to kick them out if they underperform,” Seetoh said, adding that if they were going to serve chicken rice, it has to be at least Tian Tian chicken rice standard.

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