Hawker Chef Chan Hon Meng is a Malaysian-born, Michelin-starred chef who is best known for serving the world’s least expensive Michelin-starred meal.

He won his first Michelin star back in 2016 for his $2.50 soy sauce chicken noodle dish, and proceeded to do so for the next four consecutive years. Since then, his chicken rice store has exploded from one store in Chinatown to a franchise restaurants in 7 countries & 17 outlets within 2 years. In Singapore alone, there are 6,000 stalls in over 100 hawker stalls.

In this episode, Hawker Chan shares: 

• what it was like growing up in Ipoh, Malaysia;
• how he obtained his apprenticeship under a Hong Kong chef, where he learned and perfected his famed soya sauce chicken recipe; 
• starting his Liao Fan Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle in Chinatown Complex Food Centre in 2019;
• what it was like first obtaining a Michelin star in 2016;
• how his business developed as a franchise; 
• the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on his business; and 
• advice for others seeking to follow in his footsteps.

Note: This interview was conducted entirely in Mandarin!

📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/62     

💌  Sign up for the weekly STIMY newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/ebf231f605 

🪙 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sothisismywhy