PETRINA LOH

Chef-owner of Morsels Petrina Loh talks like she’s firing off an order chit to a sweltering kitchen at the height of weekend service. She speaks fast, in a self-assured tone that implies she will not suffer fools.

Loh’s no-nonsense, single-minded focus has helped catapult Morsels to the top of every gourmand’s mind. Last year, Morsels nabbed Restaurant of the Year at the World Gourmet Summit, in addition to a Chef’s Choice award for Loh, beating out a slew of Michelin-starred compatriots in the process. 

Her secret is maintaining her signature steel in whatever she does. “Once I set my mind to doing something, I keep my focus and do it — I don’t listen to noise,” she says.

Even her approach to creativity is handled with the same single-minded focus. Loh makes it a point to understudy a foreign chef overseas every year, because “you can’t do fusion food if you don’t understand what you’re cooking”, she confides.

But at the heart of her craft, her stance softens. “Chefs are artists as much as technicians, but I don’t believe in merely checking boxes. I love using my hands to create, to give life to things. It feeds my creative soul.”