A people without the knowledge of their past, origin and culture is like a tree with no roots.
Marcus Gorvey
Our Humble Beginning
Inspired by a friend who gave us the idea after his travel to Korea, we knew a fact – the world loves Kimchi. But what set Koreans apart to have the ability to influence culture worldwide is their dedication and strong appreciation of cultural identity. You need to know about the pixies in the forest.
However, people rarely know Malaysian food. It is beautiful yet diverse family of Asian cuisine I grew up and held proud with. Upon discovering Airbnb Experiences, I started to feature my authentic Malaysian cooking experiences and has gained popularity ever since. With the help of my fiancee Jacqueline, she helps to manage our digital presence.
Its Our Mission
With my previous extensive knowledge in professional cooking, I set forth with a mission to:-
- introduce Malaysian Cuisine to the world
- quantify and document traditional intrinsic yet elaborate Malaysian recipes
- preserve the living heritage by sharing my recipes and knowledge
- advocate appreciation towards food made from scratch
Our establishment extend beyonds travellers, but also hope to influence locals & grassroots community to preserve the living heritage together.
My Fate with Culinary
A brief history of my identity and background
I grew up in Mentakab, Pahang – a quaint small town located centrally in Malaysia. Its a sanctuary for nature lovers with the world’s oldest tropical rainforest nearby known as Taman Negara. The old town too has a rich history during the colonial era and Japanese occupation. I am a 4th generation Malaysian Chinese, locally born into a mediocre blue-collar family where my parents worked really hard to keep us afloat. My great grandparents migrated from Guangdong province during the late 1880s and settled down in Malaya.
My deepest affection for food comes from my mother. Since I was a kid, my mum is always at the heart of our family’s kitchen and I could always felt her love and emotions running through her food. Being an introvert, I found my way to communicate through cooking and eventually destined to be a chef.
This culinary journey wasn’t easy. My mum expect me to pursue a white-collar career path like most Asian parents would do. However, I’d chose a part time kitchen job for my high school summer holidays. For the first time, I was introduced to what a chef’s life might be and sharpen my kitchen basic skills over there. Eventually, they gave me support to study culinary arts.
It has been 10 years since I started this culinary journey. I first served at Penang Hard Rock International Hotel, then in St Giles Wembley hotel and Genting Highlands Maxims Hotel, a renowned casino destination getaway in Malaysia which was voted as One of the Finest Properties in the World by Forbes Travel Guide. Soon, I’ve been working repetitively and felt I’m losing my passion. In a busy kitchen, I felt nothing more like a human, nothing less like a robot. The comfort and secure from a job has been too disturbing to me. I decide to get out of my comfort zone. So, I resigned and got a head chef position in one of the top 10 cafés in George Town.
In early 2019, I decided to work for myself after years in the hospitality and F&B industry.
