The Hari Singapore has appointed Aaron Tan as Director of Culinary ahead of the hotel’s opening in early 2027. A Cantonese specialist with more than 25 years’ experience across hotels, fine-dining restaurants and international events, Tan will oversee all of the hotel’s dining, from its four restaurants and bars to banqueting and in-room dining.
The 326-room hotel on Cavenagh Road, between Emerald Hill and Orchard Road, will be the third from The Hari, following London in 2016 and Hong Kong in 2020, and IHG’s first Vignette Collection hotel in Singapore. Its interiors are by Tara Bernerd & Partners, inspired by Singapore’s culture and tropical climate, and it will also have a rooftop pool and an ever-changing collection of artwork.
Tan’s brief centres on getting the basics right: flavour first, with presentation and elegance to match, and a kitchen team that grows alongside him, so that everything from the first coffee of the morning to the last order sent up to a room carries his signature.
“Aaron has a deep respect for tradition, but he’s never afraid to bring something new to the table,”
Andreas Kraemer, General Manager, The Hari Singapore
“Just as importantly, he wants to grow cooks, not just menus. I can’t think of a better person to shape dining at The Hari Singapore.”
“Singapore diners know good food, and they can tell when something is real,”
Aaron Tan, Director of Culinary, The Hari Singapore
“For me, food has to look good and taste even better, with flavour always first. I don’t expect to win anyone over with one dish. We will earn their trust plate by plate, visit by visit. My philosophy has always been simple: cook with heart, and never forget your roots.”
Tan joins from Frasers House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, formerly InterContinental Singapore, where he has been Executive Sous Chef and Executive Chinese Chef since 2019 and raised the profile of its Cantonese restaurant, Man Fu Yuan. In 2025 he brought the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast to Singapore for the first time with Master Chef Qi Jinzhu, after 14 months of preparation, and in 2026 he led a four-hands collaboration with Lily’s at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok.
He built his foundations in Singapore under Hong Kong master chefs before broadening into Western, Asian and fusion cuisine, and has held senior roles at Conrad Centennial Singapore, Fairmont Singapore and Hotel Vagabond. He was one of three chefs in charge of the Singapore Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010, and in 2016 he won the Lee Kum Kee International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge in Hong Kong, representing Singapore against 42 chefs from 13 countries.
He has also led Singapore teams to medals at the World Championship Chef competitions, won gold at the Souchu International Cooking Competition in Beijing and is Vice President of the Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs (Singapore), where he mentors the next generation of chefs. The Hari Singapore is wholly owned by the Harilela family, whose first hotel investment dates back to 1959.
Publisher of Hospitality and Leisure News, 365 Retail, Retail Source and organiser of the Creative Retail Awards.
