Bollywood Veggies

Bollywood Veggies was started in 2000 by Ivy Singh and her husband Lim Ho Seng. The couple was pondering the direction their lives would take in their retirement years. Unwilling to waste away on a golf course, and cherishing their local friendships, the duo eventually leased a 10 acre piece of land in the rustic environment of the northwest Kranji Countryside.

Today, Bollywood Veggies features various educational and entertainment activities:

• The Poison Ivy Bistro serves up healthy meals with farm fresh produce. Processed ingredients are kept to a minimum, and the restaurant uses what can be readily grown or obtained locally as much as possible.
• The Bollywood Bhanchha is a cooking school that aims to spread the message about sustainable food, and get ordinary people empowered to take action in the kitchen. It is managed by Cordon Bleu chef Lynn Ee.
• The Bollywood Food Museum provides a history of food and how it’s influenced the human civilization.
• There are other opportunities to explore the farm through tours (guided or independent) and lessons.

The couple has made it a point to hire many special and challenged people, especially local Singaporeans, to help operate the farm and bistro, creating new employment opportunities for the underserved. The farm is run as sustainably as possible with no pesticides or fertilizers used on site, effectively making it an organic, planet-friendly operation.

Outside of the farm, Ivy has also pressed on further, helping to establish a new Kranji Countryside Association to represent local farmers and improve transport around the region. She was elected President and continues to represent the farmers to this day. Both Bollywood and the region have grown in popularity in recent years, and in 2009 it was named the best LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Region by an American research company. Over the years, the farm has seen everyone from Presidents to paupers, celebrities to celibates pay a visit-- attracting and welcoming all walks of life.

With Singapore's food production dropping dramatically since the 1960s to the present day, investing in places like the Kranji Countryside can help reverse this dangerous trend and help improve local food security. Places like Bollywood also exist to encourage Singaporeans to get back to nature, support local farmers and communities, think about sustainability, and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

Ivy Singh comes from a career of property development and has also served as Secretary and Vice-President of the Singapore Gardening Society. Lim Ho Seng comes from a corporate career in accountancy and management. He was the former CEO of NTUC Fair Price, helping build the local retail institution to new heights before his retirement in 1997.