Playground for Food: Initiative Brings Stay-at-Home Singapore Moms Back to Work

Despite being one of the world's fastest-rising economies, 63% of women in Singapore are left out of the workforce.

Despite being one of the world's fastest-rising economies, 63 percent of women in Singapore are left out of the workforce.

(Photo Courtesy: Food Playground)

Yin Yin Leow was a stay-at-home mother for almost a decade before she decided to find a part-time job. When asked how she would describe financial independence, she did it with just one word – "liberating."

Helen began her casual cooking journey about 25 years ago – cooking simple meals for her friends and family. As her love for cooking grew, she wanted to make a career out of it. But commitments to her family held her back.

Despite being one of the world's fastest-rising economies, 63 percent of women in Singapore are left out of the workforce, owing to family responsibilities as the top reason, according to Manpower Research and Statistics Department, 2018.

Nestled in Chinatown in Singapore, Daniel Tan's Food Playground wishes to better this number by employing moms like Yin Yin and Helen.

Food Playground is a cultural immersive, which employs stay-at-home moms and senior women in order to conduct cooking classes for tourists and locals.

"They come back to work not only for monetary reasons; rather, I see it as empowerment. Work returns them their dignity, confidence, and self-esteem while providing financial independence," Daniel Tan told The Quint.

How Does Food Playground Work?

Set up in 2012, Food Playground operates out of a pre-war warehouse, the initiative provides flexi-work employment opportunities, so that mothers and seniors can offer cooking classes. Through structured training in facilitation and public speaking, the women are empowered to become confident culinary instructors and facilitators.

"Mothers have a wealth of local culinary knowledge and heirloom family recipes, so they can actively help to keep our food heritage alive by imparting them to the younger generation. They are also natural storytellers when it comes to our food history, so they are the best food ambassadors for tourists visiting Singapore."

Daniel Tan told The Quint

But setting it up was not very easy. According to Tan, the government startup grant was rejected as their idea of hiring amateur home cooks to teach cooking classes was "radical and unproven," as other cooking schools in Singapore are all run by celebrity chefs and F&B professionals.

"Running a business in Singapore is already tough, but to sustain a social enterprise is even tougher as we not only need to be profitable but also stay true to our social mission of creating meaningful jobs for stay-at-home mothers and active seniors."

The Women of Food Playground & Their Stories

Today, there are about 15 part-time instructors who work for the initiative from across various age groups, many of whom are rediscovering their love for cooking.

"When Yih Yin moved into her first home after marriage, this home came with an oven, a kitchen appliance her family home didn't have, and she discovered a whole new world of culinary adventures with an oven! Now a mother of three young children, Yih Yin likes to meddle around in the kitchen and experiment with recipes to prepare wholesome and healthy dishes for her family," the website describes, adding how she has now channeled that into a job.

Valencia, a self-taught cook, meanwhile, forayed into the kitchen after becoming a mum so that her daughter can have healthy home-cooked meals. As her daughter's palate grew, so did Valencia's adventures; she started experimenting with different cuisines, and bakes, among other things.

Today, Valencia is among the many others who are earning a living through her passion.