Chef Damian D’Silva, having dedicated a lifetime to championing the preservation and continued elevation of heritage cuisine in Singapore, has been named the international award recipient of the prestigious La Liste Artisan & Authenticity Award 2024 — a special distinction that recognises efforts of establishments and chefs across the globe to spotlight the culinary heritage of their region or country.

For over two decades, Damian has tirelessly relayed the rich lore of Singapore’s food heritage. At Rempapa, the restaurant he helms, he showcases glories of multicultural cuisine; unifying elements drawn from Chinese, Peranakan, Eurasian, Indian and Malay kitchens. 

With craft that joins cherished memory, passion, and purpose, he brings to the table storytelling, flavours that feed the soul, and his ‘Singapore New Heritage Cuisine’ — time-honoured dishes reinvented to resonate with today’s diner.  To Damian, Rempapa is a stage for celebrating tradition, connecting all, and empowering future generations to bridge past and present.

Chef Damian expresses, “In the last 23 years I have strived to advocate a cuisine that has been part of my life since I was a child. This culinary art form will continue to enthral and feed me, hopefully for another 23 years. My aspiration has always been to share Singapore Heritage Cuisine with everyone; local and foreign. This is in the hope that one day it will be celebrated by all that have been enriched by it.”

 

“I am not only honoured, but deeply touched in having been chosen to receive The La Liste Artisan and Authenticity Award. It’s a step closer in achieving my dream, but more importantly, an endorsement for Singapore’s heritage. Thank you.”

La Liste is an independent restaurant ranking founded in 2015, which employs an objective method of integrating and weighting nearly 1,100 international sources of information to determine standout establishments, chefs, and more. Their 8th edition of the Top 1,000 World’s Best Restaurants and Special Awards is celebrated in 2024.

The awards see a gathering of noteworthy figures in the culinary scene, joining the likes of Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, Guy Savoy, Joel Robuchon, Eric Ripert, and so on. Chef Damian D’Silva of Rempapa is the 2024 international winner of the La Liste Artisan & Authenticity Award. Created in 2021, this accolade falls under the category of Special Awards, which showcase the restaurant industry in all its diversity — from the most recent and innovative concepts to the most committed, authentic, undiscovered cuisines.

Previous awardees include James Beard winner Sean Sherman, who champions Native American cuisine, and Seong-il Kim of high-end traditional Korean restaurant La Yeon in Seoul. Chef Damian is the first Singaporean to receive the award.

Hélène Petrini, Managing Director of La Liste, comments: “Culinary traditions are stories on a plate. They are true testament to the history and diversity that shape global gastronomy. La Liste goes beyond ranking the best restaurants in the world; we also celebrate authenticity and heritage in cuisine. Chef Damian’s commitment models how chefs can forge a richer and more diverse culinary future in our modern world.”

Rempapa by Damian D’silva

2 Paya Lebar Road, #01-01/02/03, Park Place Residences at PLQ, Singapore 409053