Are you looking for a food event emcee in Singapore? Whether you are organising a cooking competition, a live culinary showcase, a food festival, a hawker centre opening, or a celebrity chef demonstration, the right emcee makes the difference between an event that feels flat and one that crackles with energy from start to finish.
Food events are unique. Unlike a corporate conference where the audience sits and listens, food events are dynamic. There are live cooking segments, judging panels, audience tastings, chef interviews, sponsor callouts, mystery ingredient reveals, and plenty of moments where the unexpected happens.
You need a culinary event host who can roll with all of it while keeping the crowd engaged and the programme on track.
Emcee Lester Leo is an experienced food event emcee in Singapore with a track record hosting culinary showcases, cooking competitions, food and beverage trade shows, hawker community events, and celebrity chef experiences.
From intimate cooking demonstrations to large-scale F&B industry openings, Lester brings the same energy, preparation, and professionalism to every food event.
Types of Food and Culinary Events Lester Leo Hosts
Food events come in many forms, and each format demands a different style of hosting. Lester has hosted across the full spectrum of food and culinary events in Singapore, from grassroots community food fairs to major industry trade show openings.
Hubalicious Taste of Thailand featuring Celebrity Chef Ian Kittichai
The Hubalicious – Taste of Thailand roadshow, organised by Asian Food Channel and StarHub, brought food lovers together for an engaging culinary showcase featuring renowned Thai chef Ian Kittichai.
Best known for his appearances on 3 Chefs 1 City and his distinguished culinary career, Chef Ian shared insights from his journey from humble beginnings in Bangkok to becoming one of Thailand’s most recognised chefs. Audiences were treated to a live cooking demonstration where he showcased the preparation of signature dishes including Grilled Beef Salad and Chilean Sea Bass.
The event combined celebrity chef appearances, culinary storytelling and live cooking demonstrations, creating an interactive food experience for shoppers and fans of Thai cuisine.
Inspired Series event featuring Celebrity Chef Anna Olsen
To celebrate the premiere of Inspired with Anna Olson on Asian Food Channel, StarHub organised the Hubalicious Inspired by Anna Olson Cooking Demonstration, featuring internationally renowned pastry chef and television personality Anna Olson.
With over 15 years of culinary experience, Anna Olson is best known for her popular cooking programmes, including Sugar, Bake with Anna Olson and Fresh with Anna Olson, as well as her bestselling cookbooks.
The live cooking demonstration gave fans the opportunity to experience Anna’s culinary expertise firsthand while learning more about her journey across Asia for Inspired with Anna Olson. The series followed Anna as she explored the diverse food cultures of Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Thailand, drawing inspiration from local ingredients, flavours and cooking techniques to create new dishes.
Asian Culinary Institute Celebrity Chef Eric Teo Cooking Demo
Celebrity chef Eric Teo, Master Mentor at the Asian Culinary Institute (ACI), conducted a live cooking demonstration as part of the SkillsFuture Festival to encourage greater awareness of culinary training and upskilling opportunities.
Known for his extensive experience in the food and beverage industry, Chef Eric Teo has been actively involved in mentoring aspiring chefs through ACI’s SkillsFuture-funded programmes.
During the session, he showcased his culinary expertise through an engaging live demonstration, highlighting how structured training and industry mentorship can support career development in the food services sector.
The event combined culinary demonstration and skills promotion, aiming to inspire participants to explore pathways in professional culinary and baking education.
FHA Food & Beverage
Emcee Lester hosted the opening of FHA Food & Beverage 2025, setting the tone for one of Asia’s leading food and hospitality industry events.
Now in its 47th year since its launch in 1978, FHA has grown into a key platform for showcasing trends, innovations, and developments across the global food and beverage landscape.
The opening highlighted the industry’s focus on sustainability, health-driven solutions, and convenience-oriented innovations, reflecting the evolving needs of both businesses and consumers.
As the event commenced, FHA–Food & Beverage 2025 brought together industry professionals for networking, knowledge exchange, and collaboration opportunities across the food and hospitality sectors.
FHA HoReCa
Emcee Lester hosted the opening of FHA – HoReCa, welcoming guests to Asia’s premier international hospitality trade show held at Singapore Expo.
The event spans five key segments, including Bakery, Pastry & Gelato, Foodservice & Hospitality Equipment, Hospitality Style, Hospitality Technology, and Speciality Coffee & Tea, bringing together a comprehensive showcase of the industry.
Covering 50,000 square metres, FHA – HoReCa serves as a global marketplace featuring a wide range of leading foodservice and hospitality suppliers across Asia.
As a key industry platform, the exhibition connects buyers with international suppliers, enabling sourcing of innovative products and solutions to support the evolving needs of the hospitality sector.
FHA-Food & Beverage and ProWine Singapore
Emcee Lester hosted the Joint Opening Ceremony of FHA – Food & Beverage and ProWine Singapore 2024, organised by Informa Markets, bringing together key stakeholders from the global F&B and hospitality industries.
Now in its annual format since 2023, FHA has grown over 40 years into a leading platform for Asia’s food and hospitality sectors, with this edition expected to welcome over 60,000 attendees, 1,500 exhibitors, and 82 international pavilions from 52 countries and regions.
Opening remarks also noted FHA’s continued role in driving international trade and collaboration, further strengthened through its partnership with ProWine Singapore.
Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (Singapore International Agri-Food Week)
Emcee Lester hosted the Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia Sandbox programme, a platform designed to drive co-innovation and collaboration among AgriTech and FoodTech industry players.
The programme brings together stakeholders to share the latest trends, challenges, and solutions, with a focus on advancing food sustainability and strengthening food security through innovation and practical implementation.
Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia is part of the Singapore International Agri-Food Week (SIAW), organised by Temasek, the Singapore Food Agency, Economic Development Board, Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board, Rethink Events, and Constellar, bringing together global industry leaders to exchange best practices and explore business opportunities.
As part of the event, the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Forum was also organised by Republic Polytechnic in partnership with IPI Singapore and Trendlines Agrifood Innovation Centre, highlighting collaboration across academia and industry in advancing urban farming solutions.
Celebrity Chef Violet Oon Meet and Greet
The Celebrity Chef Violet Oon Meet and Greet brought food enthusiasts together for an engaging and intimate culinary experience.
Guests had the opportunity to interact with renowned Singaporean chef Violet Oon, known for her work in promoting Peranakan and local cuisine, and to gain insights into her culinary journey and inspirations.
The session offered a personal and interactive setting for fans to connect with the chef and celebrate Singapore’s rich food heritage.
Meyer Circulon Symmetry Launch Event
The Circulon Symmetry launch event brought together guests for an engaging culinary showcase featuring acclaimed chef Eric Low.
Organised to introduce the new cookware range, the event combined live cooking demonstrations, interactive activities, and product experiences in a lively and engaging setting.
Chef Eric Low, an award-winning chef and former medal recipient at the FHA Salon Culinaire, demonstrated his culinary expertise using Circulon Symmetry cookware. With a distinguished career that includes leadership roles within the Singapore Chefs Association and participation in major culinary initiatives such as the Singapore International Culinary Exchange (SPICE), Chef Eric is widely recognised for his contributions to the culinary industry.
Guests were treated to a live cooking demonstration where Chef Eric prepared signature dishes including Pan-Fried Seabass with Sun-Dried Tomato Reduction, Pickled Fennel, and Roasted Banana Shallots, as well as an interactive dessert segment featuring Marinated Strawberries with Black Pepper, Balsamic Vinegar, and Vanilla Ice Cream.
Asian Food Channel Papa’s Kitchen Family Cookoff
Asian Food Channel organised an outreach event to promote its reality cooking series, Papa’s Kitchen, featuring Japanese celebrity fathers competing in culinary challenges.
As part of the event, 10 families went head-to-head in an exciting cooking competition, racing against the clock to recreate a designated dish within 25 minutes. The competition tested participants’ teamwork, creativity and culinary skills as they battled for the title of Papa’s Kitchen Champion.
The event also featured a live cooking demonstration by AFC Food Hero 2014 winner Sarah Benjamin, who showcased her unique take on three Japanese favourites: Okonomiyaki, Niku Udon and Oyako Don.
WSG Adapt and Grow Food Services and Retail Day
The Adapt & Grow Food Services and Retail Day brought together industry leaders, employers and jobseekers to explore the future of Singapore’s food services sector.
The event featured technology showcases, live demonstrations and insights into emerging trends shaping the culinary industry.
Attendees gained exposure to innovations such as automated cooking equipment and digital solutions designed to improve productivity. Industry experts also shared perspectives on workforce development, skills upgrading and career opportunities within food services.
The event highlighted Singapore’s commitment to building a smarter, more innovative and future-ready food and culinary ecosystem.
Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre Opening Ceremony
Emcee Lester hosted the official opening of the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre, a key milestone under the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) plan for East Coast.
Located in the heart of Bedok Town Centre, the modern hawker centre was developed to provide residents with a refreshed dining experience while preserving Singapore’s hawker culture and community spirit.
The opening marked the completion of the third milestone under the East Coast ROH programme and introduced a new gathering space for residents, visitors, and food lovers in the neighbourhood.
Cooking Competitions and Chef Challenges
A cooking competition emcee does far more than announce the start and end of each round. During a live chef cook-off, the emcee keeps crowd energy high between judging rounds, conducts live chef interviews on stage, manages sponsor acknowledgements naturally within the flow, runs audience voting segments, and fills the waiting time while dishes are being prepared with commentary that keeps viewers entertained rather than restless.
Lester has hosted cooking competition events including the Asian Food Channel Papa’s Kitchen Family Cookoff, where ten families competed head to head in a timed cooking challenge, recreating a set dish within 25 minutes. Managing the countdown, the crowd tension, the judges, and the live demonstration by the AFC Food Hero winner, all while keeping the energy up throughout, is precisely the kind of multi-layered hosting that a cooking competition demands.
Cooking competition formats Lester hosts include:
- Corporate cooking team building challenges
- Inter-school and inter-institution culinary competitions
- Community cooking contests and family cook-offs
- Chef cook-offs and culinary championships
- Mystery ingredient and mystery box cooking challenges
- Judge interview and tasting commentary segments
Celebrity Chef Demonstrations and Showcases
Live cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs require an emcee who can build anticipation, keep the audience engaged while the chef prepares dishes, ask intelligent questions without disrupting the flow, and translate culinary techniques into entertaining commentary for a general audience.
Lester has hosted celebrity chef events featuring internationally recognised names. For the Hubalicious Taste of Thailand roadshow organised by Asian Food Channel and StarHub, Lester hosted renowned Thai chef Ian Kittichai, engaging audiences through a live cooking demonstration featuring signature dishes. For the Inspired by Anna Olson event, also with Asian Food Channel, he hosted acclaimed pastry chef and television personality Anna Olson, whose programmes include Sugar, Bake with Anna Olson and Fresh with Anna Olson. He has also hosted culinary showcases featuring Chef Eric Teo at the Asian Culinary Institute and celebrated local chef Violet Oon at a celebrity meet and greet celebrating Singapore food heritage.
For the Meyer Circulon Symmetry launch, Lester hosted a live cooking demonstration featuring award-winning chef Eric Low, who prepared signature dishes using the new cookware range, combining product experience with culinary entertainment in a seamless event format.
Culinary demonstration events Lester hosts include:
- Celebrity chef live cooking showcases
- Chef meet and greet and audience interaction sessions
- Cooking demonstration events at brand activations and product launches
- SkillsFuture and culinary education showcases
- Recipe showcases and kitchen appliance launch events
- Culinary storytelling and chef interview segments
Food Festivals and Culinary Fairs
A food festival emcee anchors the main stage, drives footfall to different zones, manages live entertainment segments, conducts audience games and food trivia, and ensures sponsors and partners receive their acknowledgements naturally within the programme. Food festivals are often outdoor events with variable crowd sizes and unpredictable timing, which means the emcee needs both experience and composure.
Food and culinary festival formats Lester hosts include:
- Food carnivals and community food fairs
- Hawker and heritage food festivals
- Cultural food celebrations
- Food truck and street food festivals
- Culinary arts festivals and showcase events
- Audience food tasting and voting segments
Hawker Culture and Community Food Events
Hawker culture is at the heart of Singapore’s food identity, and opening ceremonies or community food events in this space carry real significance. Lester hosted the official opening of the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre, a key milestone under the Remaking Our Heartland programme for East Coast. Located in the heart of Bedok Town Centre, the modern hawker centre was developed to provide residents with a refreshed dining experience while preserving Singapore’s hawker culture and community spirit.
This kind of event requires sensitivity to the community context as well as the ability to manage VIP guests, official speeches, and ribbon-cutting or unveiling moments with polish and warmth. Lester brings that blend of professionalism and genuine heartland connection to every community food event he hosts.
Hawker and community food event formats Lester hosts include:
- Hawker centre opening ceremonies
- Heartland food festival and community food fair hosting
- Heritage food event and local cuisine showcases
- Singapore food culture events and culinary storytelling evenings
- Meet and greet events with local culinary personalities
F&B Trade Shows and Industry Events
Singapore is a major hub for the food and beverage industry across Asia, and large-scale F&B trade events require an emcee who understands the professional context and can represent the event credibly to an audience of international industry stakeholders.
Lester hosted the opening of FHA Food and Beverage 2025, one of Asia’s leading food and hospitality industry events now in its 47th year. He also hosted the opening of FHA HoReCa at Singapore Expo, a premier international hospitality trade show spanning five key segments including Bakery, Pastry and Gelato, Foodservice and Hospitality Equipment, and Speciality Coffee and Tea, covering 50,000 square metres of exhibition space. For the joint opening ceremony of FHA Food and Beverage and ProWine Singapore 2024, Lester managed the formalities for an event welcoming over 60,000 attendees, 1,500 exhibitors, and 82 international pavilions from 52 countries.
He also hosted the Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia Sandbox programme, part of Singapore International Agri-Food Week, a platform focused on co-innovation among AgriTech and FoodTech players and organised in partnership with Temasek, the Singapore Food Agency, and Enterprise Singapore.
F&B trade and industry event formats Lester hosts include:
- Food and beverage trade show openings and closing ceremonies
- Hospitality industry expo and conference hosting
- Agri-food and food technology innovation forums
- Industry networking events and F&B association dinners
- Food and beverage awards ceremonies
F&B Product Launches and Brand Activations
When a food or beverage brand is launching a new product, introducing a new menu, or activating at a retail or trade event, the emcee is the voice of the brand on stage. Lester has hosted brand activations and product experience events across the food and culinary space, combining live demonstrations, audience engagement, and brand storytelling into a cohesive event experience.
For a full overview of product launch and opening ceremony emcee services, including restaurant openings, new menu launches, and F&B brand media events, visit the dedicated Product Launch and Opening Ceremony Emcee page.
Corporate Cooking Team Building Events
Corporate cooking team building has grown into one of the most popular formats for company bonding events in Singapore. Groups compete in timed cooking challenges, work together on a set menu, or participate in a guided culinary experience that combines skill-building with entertainment.
A cooking team building emcee manages the competitive format, keeps energy high across all tables simultaneously, runs judging and tasting segments, and ensures the event feels lively and memorable rather than like a standard training exercise. Lester brings the same crowd management skills he uses in large-scale food festivals to the team building format, scaled to your group size and format.
Corporate cooking event formats Lester hosts include:
- Timed cooking team challenges and cook-offs
- Corporate kitchen challenge events
- Guided culinary experience hosting
- Team building cooking competition with judging and tasting segments
- Company bonding events with food and culinary themes
Why Food Events Need a Specialised Emcee
Not every emcee is equipped to handle the specific demands of a food or culinary event. Here is what makes food event hosting genuinely different:
Managing downtime while dishes are prepared. In a cooking competition or live demonstration, there are stretches where the chef is cooking and the audience is waiting. A skilled food event emcee fills that time with meaningful content, whether it is interviewing the chef about their technique, engaging the audience with food trivia, or building anticipation for the judging moment. This requires both quick thinking and genuine knowledge of the culinary world.
Interviewing chefs and contestants naturally. Chefs are not professional speakers. Getting engaging, entertaining responses out of a contestant who is nervous or a celebrity chef who is focused on their dish requires an interviewer who knows how to draw people out with the right questions at the right moment.
Creating excitement during judging. The judging moment is the emotional peak of any cooking competition. Building tension, managing judge commentary, and delivering results in a way that feels dramatic and fair requires timing and experience that comes from hosting real events.
Managing sponsor mentions naturally. Food events typically have multiple brand partners, from cookware to ingredients to beverage sponsors. Working these acknowledgements into the programme without disrupting the flow or sounding scripted is a craft in itself.
Encouraging audience participation. Whether it is a tasting vote, a mystery ingredient guess, a food trivia quiz, or a lucky draw, audience participation segments need an emcee who can warm up the crowd and keep the energy moving.
About Emcee Lester Leo
Lester Leo is a bilingual Singapore emcee with over 15 years of professional hosting experience across more than 2,000 events. He has hosted for Fortune 500 companies, Singapore government agencies, international trade associations, and community organisations, bringing the same preparation and professionalism to every format.
In the food and culinary space, Lester has hosted large-scale F&B trade show openings, international celebrity chef showcases, live cooking competitions, hawker centre openings, and culinary brand activations. His ability to engage diverse audiences, manage complex live programmes, and adapt to the unpredictable nature of food events makes him the trusted choice for event organisers across Singapore and the region.
Lester hosts bilingually in English and Mandarin where required, giving your event broader reach across Singapore’s multilingual audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a food event emcee do?
A food event emcee manages the full flow and energy of culinary events, from live cooking competitions and celebrity chef demonstrations to food festivals and F&B trade show openings. This includes hosting on stage, conducting chef and contestant interviews, building excitement during judging segments, managing audience participation activities, incorporating sponsor acknowledgements naturally, and filling live segments while dishes are being prepared. In food events, the emcee is also responsible for managing the unexpected since live cooking means live variables.
Why do I need a specialised food event emcee rather than a general corporate emcee?
Food events have a unique rhythm that differs from standard corporate programmes. There are live variables such as cooking times and judging outcomes, audience participation moments that need warmth and crowd energy rather than corporate formality, and specific knowledge requirements around culinary techniques and food culture. A food event emcee who has hosted real cooking competitions and culinary showcases understands how to fill downtime, manage chef nerves, build judging tension, and keep the crowd engaged throughout formats that general corporate emcees may not have experienced.
What types of food events can Lester Leo host in Singapore?
Lester hosts the full range of food and culinary events in Singapore including cooking competitions and chef cook-offs, celebrity chef live demonstrations, food festivals and culinary fairs, hawker centre openings, community food events, F&B trade show openings, agri-food and food technology forums, corporate cooking team building events, culinary brand activations, and chef meet and greet events. He has hosted for international industry events such as FHA Food and Beverage, FHA HoReCa, and Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia, as well as community events such as the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre opening.
Has Lester Leo hosted cooking competitions before?
Yes. Lester has hosted live cooking competitions including the Asian Food Channel Papa’s Kitchen Family Cookoff, where ten families competed in a timed cooking challenge with live judging, audience engagement, and a celebrity chef demonstration segment. He is experienced in managing the multi-layered demands of a live cooking competition format, including countdown management, judge coordination, contestant interviews, audience voting, and live commentary during cooking segments.
Has Lester Leo hosted celebrity chef events?
Yes. Lester has hosted celebrity chef events featuring internationally recognised chefs including Thai chef Ian Kittichai, pastry chef and television personality Anna Olson, Asian Culinary Institute Master Mentor Chef Eric Teo, and celebrated local culinary personality Violet Oon. He has also hosted brand activation events featuring award-winning chef Eric Low. His experience hosting celebrity chefs means he knows how to build anticipation, engage the audience during live cooking segments, and conduct interviews that draw out engaging stories from culinary professionals.
Can Lester Leo host food events in both English and Mandarin?
Yes. Lester is a bilingual emcee who hosts in both English and Mandarin. For food events targeting Singapore’s multilingual audiences, bilingual hosting ensures that all attendees feel included and engaged, which is particularly relevant for community food events, hawker culture celebrations, and events with a significant Chinese-speaking audience.
What is a cooking competition emcee responsible for during a live event?
During a live cooking competition, the emcee is responsible for opening the event and setting the competitive tone, explaining rules and format clearly to participants and audience members, managing the countdown and maintaining tension during the cooking phase, interviewing contestants and judges during and between rounds, filling live segments with engaging commentary and audience interaction while cooking is in progress, announcing results with appropriate drama and pace, and wrapping up the event in a way that leaves participants and spectators energised. The emcee is the connective tissue that holds the competition format together.
Can Lester Leo host F&B trade shows and industry events?
Yes. Lester has hosted major F&B industry events in Singapore including the opening of FHA Food and Beverage 2025, one of Asia’s leading food and hospitality trade shows. He also hosted the opening of FHA HoReCa at Singapore Expo, a 50,000 square metre international hospitality trade show, and the joint opening of FHA Food and Beverage and ProWine Singapore 2024 which brought together over 60,000 attendees and 1,500 exhibitors from 52 countries. His experience with industry-level events means he can manage the formalities, VIP guests, and large-scale programme flow that major F&B trade events require.
What is a culinary event host and how is it different from an emcee?
A culinary event host and a culinary emcee are often used interchangeably to describe the person who manages the programme and audience experience at food and cooking events. The distinction, where one exists, is usually that a host role implies a more conversational and intimate style, as seen in cooking demonstrations and meet and greet events, while an emcee role implies management of a formal programme with multiple segments and transitions. Lester performs both functions depending on the event format, adapting his style from the warmth of a celebrity chef showcase to the energy of a large-scale cooking competition.
Can Lester Leo host hawker and community food events in Singapore?
Yes. Lester hosted the official opening of the Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre, a milestone under the Remaking Our Heartland programme for East Coast. He is experienced in hosting community food events that carry cultural significance, managing VIP speeches and official ceremonies with warmth and precision while connecting authentically with heartland audiences. Hawker culture and heritage food events are a distinct and meaningful format that Lester approaches with genuine appreciation for Singapore’s food identity.
What makes Lester Leo the right food event emcee for events in Singapore?
Lester brings a proven track record across the full spectrum of food and culinary events in Singapore, from large-scale F&B trade show openings and international celebrity chef showcases to community hawker centre openings and live cooking competitions. His ability to manage complex live programmes, engage diverse audiences, and adapt to the unpredictable nature of food events makes him the dependable choice for event organisers who need confidence on the day. Combined with bilingual hosting capability and over 15 years of professional experience, Lester delivers food events that are lively, engaging, and outstanding.
To engage Lester as your food and culinary event Emcee, inform your preferred event organiser, or you can contact him below.
Phone: (65) 8163 2525
Email: lester@emceelester.com
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