Leizle Menez needed two weeks to learn sourdough. She was working for a British household at the time and could not see why anyone cared so much about the sour loaves, but she had to make them anyway. Now her starter is two years old, and her recipe is in a printed book.
Menez, 46, is a domestic worker from the Philippines who has lived in Singapore for 24 years. The Straits Times reported that her sourdough is one of the recipes in “At The Same Table,” a cookbook of dishes from 55 migrant and domestic workers in Singapore that launched on July 26, 2026. Sourdough, she told the newspaper, taught her to accept a foreign lifestyle, though she still livens up her base recipe with spreads such as Marmite. “It’s a milestone for me to be featured in this cookbook,” she said.
Nine months of interviews
Students from the Singapore American School compiled the book. According to the Straits Times, the student organisation A Hand for Migrant Workers, led by Tanya Arora, 16, and Aahana Mittal, 17, spent nine months interviewing the workers, photographing how they cook, tasting the dishes and writing down their stories. The workers were recommended by two migrant worker welfare groups, the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) and ItsRainingRaincoats (IRR).
The work was not only logistics. Arora told the newspaper that many migrant workers have left loved ones and home behind, so their stories carry a distinct vulnerability. The team had to acknowledge how sensitive the conversations could be. “At times, we needed to listen and respect their interest in keeping certain aspects of their story private,” she said.
What is in the book
The recipes range widely. The Straits Times lists Sri Lankan fish cutlets, cassava cake, kadai paneer, kimbap and Darjeeling-style momos, a type of dumpling. The cuisines run from Filipino dishes to French food, and the newspaper’s own invitation to readers is to test and taste them.
All proceeds from sales go to HOME and IRR. The digital download costs $9.90, and a physical copy retails at $24.90, according to the report.
