Sasha Wijidessa never expected that a part-time bartending gig at 19 would evolve into a decade-long career. Raised in a traditional Singaporean household where creativity often felt secondary to practicality, the 30-year-old originally envisioned a future in dentistry while studying pharmaceutical science. But somewhere between late nights behind the bar and discovering the joy of hospitality, her definition of success shifted entirely.
Today, Sasha is the co-founder of FURA, a boundary-pushing gastrobar redefining sustainable dining and drinking in Singapore. Beyond mixology, she’s also cultivating interests in graphic design, branding, interior design, and sustainability systems—proving that creativity and career choices can, in fact, coexist.
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ON PIVOTING
“Bartending started as a part-time job when I was 19 during my studies, simply as a way to earn extra cash, but I quickly realised how much I loved every part of it. After graduation, I found myself at a crossroads between furthering my studies and bartending full-time. But I’d never felt that passionate or devoted to anything else before, so choosing bartending felt like choosing myself. At Operation Dagger, I worked my way up from barback to General Manager. Then, I moved to Copenhagen for a research role at a distillery before returning to Singapore in 2022 with my partner, Christina Rasmussen. What started as a small pop-up eventually became FURA.
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At FURA, we introduce new rituals of eating and drinking that make sense in the current climate. Through our “Journal of Future Foods” menu, we spotlight ingredients that are abundant, invasive, or overlooked, while prioritising carbon emissions as our north star metric. Sustainability, for me, has always been tied to impact and reach. Real change only happens when businesses take responsibility first.”
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ON FASHION
“My style has always leaned towards comfort and functionality, because my job involves movement, efficiency, and agility. I really admire Hailey Bieber and Zoë Kravitz because they champion that minimalist, back-to-basics aesthetic so well. I’m also drawn to brands like COS, RYE, Samsøe Samsøe, Arket, and Levi’s.”