Four Michelin stars, one-night-only collaboration
It may have taken years since they first got acquainted but chefs Josh Boutwood and Kirk Westaway of Jaan by Kirk Westaway in Singapore are finally collaborating on Aug. 25 at Helm by Josh Boutwood.
“We first met during the Asia Culinary Exchange when he was visiting the Philippines, and we immediately got along,” Boutwood recalls. “We’ve stayed in touch ever since, and this year the opportunity to cook together finally came together.
Both famously drawn to ingredients and technique, Boutwood and Westaway’s collaboration will see the pair explore their philosophies in contemporary dining in a one-night-only dinner.
“When he invited me to cook at Helm, it felt like a very natural collaboration. It wasn’t really about the restaurants. It was about cooking alongside someone I respect,” Westaway says.
Boutwood and Westaway have proven themselves to be formidable forces in Southeast Asia’s restaurant scene. The Filipino British chef earned the Philippines’ first two Michelin stars while the Devon-born executive chef has led the romantic restaurant to two Michelin stars and sustained it for five consecutive years since 2015 for his interpretation of Modern British cuisine.
The collaboration also marks Westaway’s first time cooking for the Filipino market. “I always enjoy cooking for people experiencing my food for the first time,” he notes.
Of course, their shared ideas and overall harmony, say Boutwood and Westaway, carry equal weight when they collaborate. ”Whenever we host an international chef, the goal is never to present two separate styles on the same menu,” Boutwood explains.
“We both like to let great ingredients do the talking without overcomplicating the food. I think that’s why we’ll work so well together,” says Westaway.
Jaan x Helm with Kirk Westaway and Josh Boutwood will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at Helm by Josh Boutwood, 3/F The Shops at Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City. There will be two dinner seatings at 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
