Singapore Business Awards 2026 | 8 Cooking up culinary education, tourism, and team-building opportunities, SSA Culinary Institute (SSACI) is the largest halal culinary school in Singapore. Delivering a range of educational courses – including SkillsFuture-eligible culinary courses – as well as activities for corporate teams and tourists, SSACI can accommodate large numbers at its venue, which is conveniently located next to Tai Seng MRT Station. Suhaimi Salleh, the president and CEO of the SSA Group that SSACI is apart of, spoke with us for more on the back of its recognition in this programme. Housing seven modern, fully equipped kitchens with space for up to 150 participants at a time, SSA Culinary Institute leverages its status as a member of the SSA Group, which is one of Singapore’s leading transformation and empowerment service providers for workforce development, to offer a high-quality education in the world of gastronomy. Across its culinary and baking training for individuals, teambuilding activities, and tourist experiences, SSACI takes pride in preserving the culinary heritage of this region. “We invest significant effort into preserving traditional recipes, techniques, and cultural context, ensuring that every programme reflects genuine heritage rather than simplified adaptations.” This is best seen through the new Singapore Heritage Kitchen workshop, where SSACI offers a unique, food-filled journey through Singapore, one dish at a time. More than just a cooking class, this tourism-based workshop offers a taste of the country’s soul, with curious travellers and lovers of culture alike invited along to sample some of its most beloved flavours. These include spicy Malay cuisine, warm and comforting Chinese dishes, and intricately beautiful Peranakan sweets. Each of the recipes behind these dishes tells a story. As mentioned in the beginning, the exclusive use of halal-certified ingredients across every workshop delivered by SSACI means that its Muslim guests can engage in any of these classes with total peace of mind – reflecting the sense of community and inclusivity SSACI seeks to nurture across these workshops. A great example of this ongoing mission is its CSR baking experience, where corporate teams bake together before packaging their creations and delivering them to chosen beneficiaries within their local communities. Outside of these activities, SSACI gives back in another meaningful way through the educational courses and subsidised programmes it delivers, with these helping participants to learn new skills and potentially progress with a career in the culinary arts. Across these programmes, SSACI covers all the bases, offering everything from basic food safety courses through to regional favourites such as the Kampong Favourites series, as well as offering the Baking for a Living and Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) series. Many people can access the WSQ series with up to 70% of their subsidies paid, and the aforementioned SkillsFuture initiative, which can be accessed by Singaporeans aged 25 and above, will pay for most of SSACI’s courses, making enrolling and taking the first steps towards learning an invaluable skill more straightforward than ever. As for why everyone should do this, Suhaimi explained: “Our commitment ensures that participants experience not only technical skills, but also invaluable cultural meaning and context.” Behind every corporate organisation, international visitor, or student who leaves SSACI with a new talent are the team here, whose passion for Singaporean cultural immersion is the cherry on top of these hands-on cooking workshops and teambuilding activities for large groups. It is thanks to this team that these programmes succeed in the shared aim of creating shared experiences, strengthening relationships, and bolstering deeper understanding. As this shows, what SSACI offers go well beyond the typical cooking class. Delivering a range of services united by consistency, heritage culinary practices, and practical, hands-on skills that serve people well in their everyday life, SSA Culinary Institute caters to everyone seeking a meaningful and interactive experience that is rooted in heritage – whether they are local or visiting from abroad. Its recognition as the Best Heritage-Led Culinary Education Organisation 2026 reflects its commitment to this cause, something its visitors from all over the world attest to in their glowing testimonials. With a jam-packed schedule being operated by SSACI for the remainder of 2026, there has never a better time to enrol on one (or more) of these halal cooking classes in Singapore. Doing so is easy as following the link below, where more details can be found on these programmes, the funding options, and any other queries a reader may have. Contact: Suhaimi Salleh Company: SSA Culinary Institute Web Address: https://ssaculinary.institute/ Best Heritage-Led Culinary Education Organisation 2026 AIS-Jan26214
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