A less-than-fine dining experience to help children with Cleft conditions.

Each year, over 100,000 children in Asia are born with cleft conditions, a birth defect which impacts their social acceptance and turns even the simple act of eating into a challenge.

Though the numbers are high, victims often feel forced to hide their condition from the public, keeping visibility – and awareness of the problem low.

Smile Asia, working with McCANN Health Singapore, set out to change that.

Introducing The Cleft Collection

With the help of the Ritz Carlton, high profile diners and key opinion leaders were invited to an exclusive four-course dinner crafted by Executive Chef Massimo Pasquarelli. The catch: the unsuspecting guests experienced how difficult it was to dine with The Cleft Collection,

a unique set of cutlery -- made up of a knife, fork and spoon-- deliberately designed to make diners experience how difficult every meal is for children with cleft lip and palate.

The purpose of the event was revealed at the end of the dinner, highlighting ease of eating as only one of the many difficulties faced by children with cleft conditions and raising awareness for the cause.

“The Cleft Collection allows you and I to experience the struggles children with cleft lip and palate face at every meal. We hope that with this initiative, we will be able to get more people to support the cause of helping children across Asia living with these conditions.”

- Vincent Yeow, Chairman and Founder of Smile Asia