Fresh Air: New management for multi-concept food venue Air CCCC in Dempsey

SINGAPORE – Changes are afoot at Air CCCC, the multi-concept food venture in the Dempsey lifestyle enclave.

Ebb & Flow, the restaurant group that runs restaurants such as Willow and Carlitos, is stepping in to take over the day-to-day running of the place.

The founders – American chefs Will Goldfarb and Matt Orlando, and Mr Ronald Akili, co-founder of the Potato Head hospitality brand in Bali – are still expected to be involved in the business, says Mr Lim Kian Chun, 33, chief executive of Ebb & Flow.

Air CCCC, which opened in 2024, is short for Awareness, Impact and Responsibility – Circular Campus and Cooking Club. It occupies a 4,000 sq m complex in Dempsey that used to be a clubhouse for civil servants. The venue, which cost a seven-figure sum to set up, offers “accessible luxury”.

Chef Orlando, former head chef of Noma, ran Amass in Copenhagen for nine years before starting Air. He has returned to Copenhagen. Chef Goldfarb runs Room4Dessert and Powder Room in Bali, and is returning to run these businesses and other projects.

The food at Air is a continuation of what chef Orlando did at Amass – coaxing deliciousness from what others might throw away. At the restaurant, banana skins were used to make caramel and fish bones were transformed into noodles.

That sustainability thread will continue when Ebb & Flow takes over the running of the venue in late January 2026.

Mr Lim tells The Straits Times the place will continue as Air for five to six months before it morphs into a new concept in the second half of 2026. What shape that will take is still up in the air.

“It will be something that really stays true to the vision of Will and Matt, and the ethos that they have,” he says. “I think we’re lucky that there’s such a great platform here. We have had a lot of talks about what’s important to us in terms of sustainability, product quality, locally sourced ingredients, great cooking and accessible experiences.”

Ebb & Flow already has a presence in Dempsey. It recently opened Curly’s, a grocery store and restaurant that sources products and ingredients from regional small and independent producers.

Chef Goldfarb, 50, adds: “What we both care about, and one of the reasons I’m so confident in Ebb & Flow coming in, is we know they’re committed to providing and caring for guests in such a meaningful way; sharing this sense of hospitality and taking care of people, which at the end of the day is what restaurants are all about.”

The expansive Air space includes a garden with fruit, vegetables and herbs that leads to a lawn area that can accommodate up to 350 people. The two-storey building seats 45 on each level, and includes research space and room for cooking classes and talks.

The management change has been in the works for a few months, say Mr Lim and chef Goldfarb.

Chef Goldfarb adds: “It’s a small industry so we luckily found ourselves around a small table.”

Mr Lim feels Singapore diners are “looking for the same thing they’ve always been looking for, which is good hospitality, good food and a sense of community”.

“And maybe now more so than previously, they are looking for good value. They want to feel like they get more than what they pay for, an experience that is worth the money. As long as you manage to meet those expectations, you can build quite a loyal customer base.”

Chef Goldfarb adds: “I think the important thing in Singapore, especially these days, is to be flexible, to adapt and to make sure you’re delivering a great product for the greatest number of people as possible.”

The end of 2025 and start of the new year have seen a flurry of changes in the Singapore restaurant scene.

Year-end closures have included Chef’s Tavern in Craig Road. The 96-seat restaurant opened in March 2025.

Austrian chef Stephan Zoisl, who has started private-dining business Dinner by Chef Stephan, says in the restaurant’s farewell post on Instagram on Dec 31: “After months of trying to hold on amid rising costs and mounting rental pressures, it became impossible for us to continue.

“What hurts the most is not being able to welcome you during the Christmas period. Knowing that many of you had plans, celebrations and moments you trusted us with, and having to cancel so suddenly, truly broke my heart.”

Spanish restaurant Sabio at Quayside Isle in Sentosa has also closed after 12 years. According to its Dec 31 farewell post on Instagram, the owners are “actively looking for a new home for Sabio”. The restaurant has an offshoot in Bangkok.

Other

previously reported year-end closures

have included one-Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant Esora, Spanish restaurant Sugarra at Resorts World Sentosa and Asu at Labrador Nature Reserve.

London pizza chain Pizza Express has closed its Millenia Walk and Scotts Square restaurants. The chain, which has more than 500 restaurants worldwide, still has a presence in Singapore, with outlets at Duo Galleria and The Star Vista.

Home-grown coffee chain Kith, which had 10 cafes at its peak, is left with two, ST reported on Jan 7. The two remaining cafes, at Marina Square and New Bahru, are collaborations with edutainment children’s park brand Kiztopia.

Despite the slew of closures, new restaurants continue to spring up in Singapore. Statistics from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, which run to November 2025, show that 3,760 food businesses started up in 2025, with 2,861 winding down.

The final tally is still to come.

Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that Air occupied a 4,000sq ft space. It occupies a 4,000 sq m space.