Foodies, it’s time to put your tastebuds on alert. Like you, we love good food, even more so when its prepared by some of the region’s best and most creative chefs.

Building on its successful December 2021 debut, Kita Food Festival is back in 2022 with a star-studded calendar. The festivities start with a weekend in Langkawi in September, before moving on to the UNESCO heritage city of George Town, Penang in October, then culminating in two jam-packed weekends in Kuala Lumpur at the end of November.

In case you missed it, Kita Food Festival is an annual event offering a range of exceptional dining experiences, masterclasses, TED-like talks, and forums with some of the world’s finest chefs, winemakers and food thinkers.

Kita Food Festival 2022

In 2022, Kita Food festival will bring in the best chefs and culinary thinkers from South and Southeast Asia for a range of events with local chefs and restaurateurs. Guest chefs have been carefully chosen for their outlook and innovation or respect for sustainability, sourcing and championing the culinary heritage of their respective cultures.

The festival launches on the tropical island of Langkawi from 23-25 September. Kicking off the festivities are Prateek Sadhu, previously of Mumbai’s famed restaurant, Masque, and Dewakan chef Darren Teoh who will feature at The Datai Langkawi. Taking turns, the culinary duo will collaborate with The Datai Chef de Cuisine Chai Chun Boon for a 6-hand dinner. Chef Prateek will also present a fine dining degustation menu at The Dining Room.

The weekend will wrap up with a unique masterclass by chef Darren Teoh, who will lead a small group of eight on a tour through The Datai Langkawi’s permaculture gardens. Harvesting leaves, flowers, buds and roots, Teoh will guide guests in a hands-on cooking class at The Dapur, which will culminate with lunch at The Gulai House.

Northern Flavours

From October 14 to 16, Kita Food Festival reconvenes in Penang. Friday, 14 October will see chef Johnson Wong paired up with Andrew Martin from Bangkok’s 1-Michelin star 80:20 at Gēn. Next, Au Jardin’s chef-proprietor Kim Hock Su will team up with Aitor Jeronimo Orive of Singapore’s 1-Michelin star Basque Kitchen by Aitor for a sumptuous spread that draws from both chefs’ expertise in analogous French and Basque cuisines.

The four will then work together, alongside a coterie of Penang’s finest chefs, including Mathijs Nanne of Suffolk House, Nurilkarim Razha of Jawi House, Tan Hong Tat (aka Wagyu) of Communal by Gēn and CC Lee of JuJu Lounge & Restaurant for The Great Mezze, at George Town’s popular art gallery cum cafe-bar ChinaHouse. This casual Sunday mashup will see teams of chefs serving a selection of hot and cold mezze from locally sourced producers against a buzzing backdrop of art, cocktails and a live band.

Ending With A Bang

The last two weekends in November present the most jam packed schedule, including a series of dinners at some of the city’s foremost restaurants. From 19-28 November, diners can opt for a seat at Akar Dining, Dewakan, Ember, Entier, Hide, Joloko and Shhhbuuuleee.

Chefs include Rishi Naleendra from 2-Michelin star Cloudstreet, Ivan Brehm from 1-Michelin star Nouri, Jeremy Gillon from 1-Michelin star Restaurant JAG, Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah of Bali’s hyper-local Locavore and Jordy Navarra of Manila’s Toyo Eatery, #94 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

As with the 2021 programme, Kita Food Festival 2022 will incorporate a Big Sunday Barbecue where a star-studded line-up of chefs co-create innovative dishes from their respective grilling stations. The calendar will also include a series of ticketed masterclasses and workshops, from Ancient World Wines to Home Fermentation Techniques; each delivered by experts in those disciplines and inviting participants to learn new skills and ideas.

To book tickets, check out Kita food Festival 2022.