[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]here can be no reliable awards platform without a discerning and well-travelled panel. These are the gourmands who sat through countless tastings, incognito, just to identify the finest for The G Restaurant Awards 2018.
SANDY CHNG A chef by training since 1996, Chng is now a sommelier with Singapore Airlines, a wine educator, and an adventurer by heart. He is certified by the Society of Wine Educators and the Court of Master Sommeliers, and accredited as a Certified Wine Course Educator from WSET UK.
 | HE JONATHAN EDWARD AUSTIN He is New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Singapore (and its Ambassador to the Maldives), and has also worked in Tonga, the Solomon Islands, South Africa, East Timor and England. To try and work off sampling so much fine Singaporean food, he likes to bike and play tennis. |
 | HE ZENON KOSINIAK–KAMYSZ The Ambassador for the Republic of Poland to Singapore since 2014, he has held positions in Hungary, Germany, Slovakia and Canada. He enjoys spending his leisure hours bird-watching and savouring local delicacies. |
 | HE NANCY LYNN MCDONALD Canada’s High Commissioner has lived in different corners of the world – from Switzerland to Hong Kong, and now Singapore. When not shaping trade policies, she likes exploring Singapore’s hawker food with her husband and two children. |
 | HE DMYTRO SENIK He is the Ambassador for Ukraine to Singapore and Brunei Darussalam. Besides his passion for promoting rich Ukrainian cuisine, he loves jazz, wine and travel. |
 | EVHENIIA YEMSHENETSKA HE Dmytro Senik’s wife left her position as a senior brand manager at the biggest publishing house in Ukraine and came to Singapore to promote Ukrainian culture. She also loves to travel and discover new destinations. |
 | DR BERNARD CHEONG Dr Cheong, a watch collector of international renown, is the only non-retailer or collector who is an official ambassador for Switzerland’s Foundation of Haute Horology. He recommends a combination of spirulina and six packets of Fybogel daily to balance the excesses of rich food. |
 | DR CHNG CHAI KIAT Dr Chng is the president of the Association of Orthodontists (Singapore). His love for skiing is second only to his passion for great food, whether it’s from a Michelinstar restaurant or a food-centre stall. The avid traveller also goes on Operation Smile mission trips. |
 | NICOLA LEE Lee is a second-generation member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux Singapore and was the society’s secretary from 2009 to 2011. Lee’s love for food and wine was cultivated by her late father, who was founding member of the Commanderie. She is also the Consul General for the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne Singapore. Lee constantly travels to try new dining experiences. |
 | STEPHANIE LEE Lee is executive director of her family’s company, and manages a portfolio of properties and investments. She sits on the committee for 113-year-old Goh Loo Club, and the board for the Yellow Ribbon Fund Family & Children’s Welfare Committee. She is also on the committee of the Ferrari Owners’ Club Singapore. Lee and her husband, Choo Ken-Yi, have two children. |
 | PAUL LING A man of simple but discerning tastes, Ling’s heart is in wines and he has nearly 300 bottles in his collection, including his favourites – Amarones by the late Giuseppe Quintarelli. He believes dishes should be designed around wines, not vice versa. |
 | EDWIN SOON Trained as an economist and an oenologist, Soon is an international wine consultant. Author of several books on wine, tea and food, he now also nurtures sommeliers. |
 | KRYSTAL TAN Former corporate M&A lawyer and now founder of Blue Sky Escapes – the brand that unlocks bold travel experiences worldwide – Tan has had her fair share of tastings (including reindeer meat and guinea pig) throughout her travels. She believes food is one of the vital factors when crafting extraordinary journeys for travellers. |
 | MICHAEL TAY Tay is director of the Foundation for the Arts and Social Enterprise, and the founder of Sing Jazz, a highly successful international jazz festival. |
 | KATHRYN YAP When not hunting down talent, Yap, named one of Businessweek’s top 50 headhunters in the world, hunts down good food. Her motto, inspired by her obsession with otoro and wagyu, is this: “Fat is flavour, so the more the merrier.” |
 | LESLIE YEO Yeo is the principal director of Sterling Law Corporation. The lover of Japanese single malts occasionally hosts family and friends to an evening of food, wine and laughter, with the wide-ranging cuisine served spanning prawn dum biryani to Teochew-style chye poh neng (omelette with preserved vegetables). |
