Of the same root, of one cluster
Kuching, Sarawak · since 2025
I keep it for a while. I do not own it. The work belongs to the forest, to the elders who taught us its language, and to the chefs who will carry it after me.
Four chapters, walked in order
The whole plan was announced at the unveiling. After that, our job was to deliver it.
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The Launch
July 2025 · Kuala LumpurThe unveiling, with state backing and UNESCO alignment.
Enter the chapter: The LaunchPhotograph by Bonnie Yap.
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Expo 2025 Osaka
August 2025 · OsakaThe international debut at Seaside Studio CASO, during Sarawak Week.
Enter the chapter: Expo 2025 OsakaPhotograph by Bonnie Yap.
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Mulu
October 2025 · Gunung Mulu National ParkThe homecoming, inside Gunung Mulu National Park.
Enter the chapter: MuluPhotograph: Serumpun Sarawak archive.
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The Kuching Finale
2 April 2026 · Sarawak Cultural VillageThe founding year closed in Sarawak's capital.
Enter the chapter: The Kuching FinalePhotograph by Atlas Collective.
Heritage belongs in a kitchen, a forest and a language still in use, more than in a museum.
James Won
From the Serumpun Sarawak documentary for Expo 2025 Osaka. Film by Atlas Collective.
Three introductions
Serumpun Sarawak began as my personal vision. It entered the formal structure of the Sarawak State through three introductions, which I record here with gratitude.
- Tan Sri Rafidah AzizHonorary Patron of Serumpun Sarawak; Minister of International Trade and Industry, 1987 to 2008; Chairman of MATRADE from 1991made the introduction
- Tun Pehin Sri Dr. Haji Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku JaafarYang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawakrecommended the collaboration
- Dato Dennis NgauChairman, Sarawak Tourism Boardmade the first contact
The project started with me. The cooking, the mentee development and the work with government agencies and ministries are now shared across all the partners. I remain its main voice and face.
The institutions
With them: the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre, the Borneo Cultural Museum, Atlas Collective, and our scientific advisor, Professor Gerard Bodeker.
The second year
The Kuching Finale closed the founding year, and the movement goes on. After April 2026, Serumpun enters its second year. The In Motion mentee programme continues, and so do the partnerships with the institutions and with UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy Kuching.
Over the founding year I learned that the cuisine could travel and could come home. The years ahead will test what that year proved.
On the record
“Gastronomy is a story, the story of the men and women who create it, of local produce, of traditions, and of reinventions.”
Questions answered
What is Serumpun Sarawak?
A long-term conservation and cultural-diplomacy movement that records, protects and passes on the food knowledge of Sarawak's thirty-four indigenous communities, using science, culture and cooking. It was unveiled in Kuala Lumpur in July 2025.
Who are Serumpun Sarawak's partners?
The Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP), the Sarawak Tourism Board, the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre, the Borneo Cultural Museum, the Culinary Heritage and Arts Society Sarawak (CHASS), Atlas Collective, Professor Gerard Bodeker as scientific advisor, and UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy Kuching as endorsing body.
What happened in Serumpun's founding year?
Four chapters: the unveiling in Kuala Lumpur in July 2025, the international debut at Expo 2025 Osaka in August, the homecoming inside Gunung Mulu National Park in October, and the Kuching Finale in April 2026.
How is Serumpun meant to outlast its founder?
By design. Five programmes select Sarawakian chefs, train them, hand on the movement's ethos and place them on institutional platforms: the In Motion mentorship, the adoption at Sarawak Cultural Village, a national tour with the Sarawak Tourism Board, media training, and Serumpun In Motion. The founder's role is temporary, and success is measured by the day he is no longer needed.
What comes after the founding year?
Serumpun entered its second year after April 2026. The In Motion mentee programme and the partnerships continue, and the French Borneo cuisine platform draws on the knowledge gathered.
How can an institution take part?
Write to connect@chefjameswon.com and say what your institution can carry. Serumpun grows through its partners, above all those with a stake in Borneo's food heritage.
Selected Press
Full archive →- The Star Locally Sauced Launch chapter · National flagship 2025-07-13
- The Borneo Post Serumpun Sarawak Showcases Indigenous Heritage, Cuisine and Culture in International Debut in Osaka Osaka chapter · Regional flagship 2025-08-10
- Palate Asia In The Land Of The Hornbills: Experiencing Serumpun Sarawak In Mulu Mulu chapter · Feature 2025-10-23
- Sarawak Sin Chew 砂拉越星洲日报 Serumpun Sarawak — Minister of Tourism remarks Kuching Finale · Federal-institutional record 2026-04-02 ZH-CN
- UKAS — Sarawak State Communication Sarawak State Communication on Serumpun Sarawak Kuching Finale · Official state-government record 2026-04-02
- TTR Weekly Serumpun Sarawak: A Defining Finale in Kuching Kuching Finale · International tourism trade · closing piece 2026-04-15
- BFM 89.9 Enterprise Explores: Conserving and Profiting, Sarawak's Food Heritage Broadcast interview · Conservation and commerce 2026-09-21
Adjacent chapters
The work belongs to the forest, and the forest belongs to the communities who taught us its language. Whatever lasts will last through them.