Hawker Heritage - Survival! IQ Interview with KF Seetoh

No Singaporean cares for our hawker culture more than he. This won’t be an overstatement. In 1997 he founded Makansutra which celebrated and rated street food outlets in Singapore. In 2001 Makansutra – the TV series was launched. It was a huge success. In 2005, he organised, together with STB, the first ever Singapore Hawker Legends awards. 3 years later he received the coveted Special Recognition Award at the Singapore Tourism Awards event. In 2013 he organised the World Street Food Conference which brought global big names such as the late Anthony Bourdain to Singapore. In 2022 he launched the Urban Hawker in New York – the first ever kopitiam concept featuring the best of Singapore’s street food. In 2020, Singapore’s hawker culture was officially designated by UNESCO as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’. He initiated the idea and led a 2-year lobby for this global recognition. It was a 28-year labour of love. KF Seetoh was STB’s poster boy. But recently he’s been vocal in his criticism of the government - its policies and initiatives. He’s warning that we could lose our hawker culture! He’s been speaking up for the hawkers – arguing against what he sees as high rent, unfair contracts and the system favouring hawker centre operators. The government says it needs to innovate to stay relevant. It cites a survey showing 80% of hawkers are satisfied. So, is KF Seetoh a fearless champion of the hawker underdog or a rabble-rousing busy body? Don’t miss a no holds barred interview with KF Seetoh by IQ Chief Editor and former NMP, Viswa Sadasivan.