Foodie Canteen

Roy Chiew is the co-founder of Adelphi Collective, an F&B group based in Sabah. In this week’s podcast, he talks about bringing the food industry forward in Kota Kinabalu with experimental cuisines, closing down Adelphi & Co., the food culture in Sabah, building a team of leaders and more.

“You might start a business without too much certainty, but as long your team has what it takes to fix the problem, you’re all set.” - Roy Chiew

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest introduction

03:07 - Born & raised in Tawau

05:25 - What you must eat when visiting Sabah

08:54 - “Good enough to graduate”

15:51 - Making decisions and living with it

20:02 - Managing my family business and starting F&B restaurants

21:17 - My “Enlightening Food Trip” to Australia

27:40 - Running the "people business"

32:33 - Bringing KK's food industry forward with Adelphi & Co.

43:22 - Having what it takes to improve along the way

47:10 - How do you know it’s time to close a chapter?

54:35 - Sabah’s food culture

59:22 - Entrepreneurs in Sabah

1:02:10 - My beliefs in life and business

1:05:07 - Advice for people starting their business

Laksa is one of the must-try street food in Penang, Malaysia. Christine Ooi found a gap in the market as the mother of two boys who finds it hard to enjoy a bowl of Laksa by the street. Thus the birth of Laksalicious, where she takes iconic street food, Assam Laksa and Nyonya Lemak Laksa and serves them in a comfortable restaurant setting. During the podcast, she shares her thoughts on Penang’s hawker culture and how they use a 40-year-old Laksa recipe from housewives in Perak to share this street food goodness.

“We are happy with just one outlet. As a mother of two boys, I like to spend more time with my family.” - Christine Ooi

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest Introduction

00:50 - Growing up around fishing villages 

02:15 - Must-try food in Penang

04:32 - Penang’s hawker culture

06:33 - Lessons I’ve learned starting Moustache House Cafe

09:06 - When do you know it’s time to close down the business?

10:46 - Starting Laksalicious

12:15 - Taking street food into a restaurant setting

13:27 - Branding Laksalicious

15:13 - Sourcing our Laksa from Perak 

19:00 - Different types of laksa in Malaysia

20:00 - The most important ingredient in a bowl of laksa

20:55 - Coping with the pandemic as a small business

22:53 - Being content with one outlet after 7 years

Born in Sitiawan, raised in Johor, Diana Chan is a Malaysian entrepreneur currently residing in Melbourne, Australia. Having worked as a senior analyst at Deloitte, her life took a turn when she won MasterChef Australia 2017 which then led to her travelling around the world for various cooking appearances. In this episode, she shares what it’s like cooking on national TV, stepping into your ‘genius zone’ and tips on becoming a highly effective communicator.

“Winning MasterChef Australia is a bonus. What you do with it, how you maintain and grow from that is entirely up to you.” - Diana Chan

Timestamps:

00:00 - Life post lockdown

02:04 - Who’s Diana Chan?

02:49 - Growing up in Johor, Malaysia

04:49 - My ambitions as a child

06:32 - Migrating to Melbourne, Australia

07:12- First job out of university

08:55 - How did I get into MasterChef Australia?

10:18 - It all started with peeling taugeh (beansprouts) in the kitchen

11:30 - How I picked up my cooking skills

12:42 - The pressure to perform on national TV

15:51 - Quitting my job at Deloitte and travelling the world

17:11 - Opportunities that came with the new title

18:28 - Accounting to entrepreneurship

19:27 - Stepping into your zone of genius

23:14 - Maintaining longevity and branding yourself

24:08 - Dinner party hacks

26:39 - How to communicate in a way that people gravitate towards you

John Lim is one of the few executive chefs in Sarawak that goes foraging in the forest for native ingredients and experiments with them in Roots, a casual-dining restaurant in Kuching, known for their creative and remarkable dishes. In this episode, Chef John teaches us how to make the perfect paella and shares the story of how his bond with the Bidayuh and Iban tribes through his foraging trips inspired his cooking.

“I do not want to cook just for the sake of cooking, but I want to cook because I want to understand [the culture] a little bit more.” - John Lim

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest Introduction

01:08 - Life in Sarawak

02:37 - Local foods you should try in Sarawak

04:44 - Experiences & lessons in big cities

07:28 - Being an executive chef for Food Journal

08:13 - Foraging trips to the forest

11:45 - Never-before-seen ingredients from foraging trips

13:49 - Exploring native ingredients & throwing backyard dinner parties with the Bidayuh and Iban groups

16:28 - Using humble ingredients and the tri-flavours cooking method at Roots

20:07 - Eggplant is UH-MAZING

22:46 - How to make the perfect paella

27:35 - His cooking philosophy

27:51 - Sustainability in cooking: Check your rubbish bin

31:40 - Is a chef’s life glamorous?

34:55 - Challenges as an executive chef managing 5 restaurants

36:09 - The growing market for fine dining in Sarawak

37:50 - Most important skill for a chef: journaling

40:10 - Our Saturday night creativity project

Vuitton Pang is widely known as the 3rd generation successor of Mamee Double-Decker snack empire - the addictive barbecue snack with a blue furry monster most Malaysians grew up with. In this episode, Vuitton brought us back to the early days when he’d go knocking on doors as the “Mamee Boy” in Australia, opens up about handling family expectations and shares a thing or two about the local convenience store scene and what is it really like bringing a huge franchise like emart24 into Malaysia.

“A lot of people think we are so lucky to have this safety net. But along with the privilege comes great expectations.” - Vuitton Pang

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest Introduction

01:18 - Growing up in Melaka and attending public schools

04:00 - “Gems will not stay hidden for too long in Melaka.”

05:18 - My first exposure to business

06:23 - On handling family expectations

08:55 - Melaka to Melbourne

09:36 - “Mamee Boy” knocking on doors in Victoria to working for OSK Investment Bank

11:00 - Bringing emart24 to the Malaysians

12:12 - Transitioning from Food Manufacturing to Retail

13:40 - How to find the perfect location for your business

14:55 - Creating loyalty among Millennials & Gen Zs

17:38 - A day in the life of Vuitton Pang

19:02 - Local convenience store scene in Malaysia

20:51 - Changing Malaysians’ shopping habits at conveniences store with innovation

22:28 - Gone were the Apollo chocolate wafer days?

24:10 - Values I’ve learned from the Mamee days

26:00 - Bringing a franchise into Malaysia

27:13 - emart24 to launch 300 stores in 5 years - What are the challenges?

28:36 - Advice for listeners who are looking to bring in brands from other countries

Jackie Loo is the founder of Caffé Diem, one of the first homegrown third-wave cafes in Alor Setar, Kedah. Labelling himself as the jack of all trades and master of none, Jackie is no stranger to coffee for having spent most of his childhood roaming around his grandfather’s Hainanese kopitiam. In this podcast, he shared the time he connected with a regular customer that later became his business partner and how they both transformed a drug addict haven into a community space shared by all.

“Sometimes you have an idea, but to make things happen, you need people who share the same vision as you. ” - Jackie Loo

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest Introduction

00:45 - Life in Alor Setar is QUALITY

02:10 - Must-try food in town

03:14 - Growing up in a working-class family that runs a Hainanese coffee shop

05:50 - I’m a jack of all trades, master of none.

07:30 - The business, science and communications era

09:17 - Birth of Caffé Diem

13:36 - How he met his partner and expanded from a 10-table cafe into a 120-year-old heritage building

19:35 - The renovation story

27:24 - Growing cafe scene in Alor Setar

28:33 - How illegally chopping down an old tree led to the revitalization of Lorong Penjara Lama

33:13 - “At a certain point of time, we have to leave Alor Setar.”

36:07 - Coffee Influencer

38:17 - “Everything is a matter of perspective, no challenges can’t be resolved.”

40:55 - Advice for people who want to start a cafe

Fikri Jalil recalls the "magic measuring cup" his mother used in the kitchen to make kuih raya and that's when it all began. Today, he is the owner of Galanggal Cafe, one of the few restaurants in Ipoh serving curated Southern European cuisine to a 25-seater space. He might or might not be (still) using the same cup. In this episode, we dive into how we should not just stir-fry everything, the stigma around Malay employees and the reality of pay wage in F&B in some rural parts of Malaysia. 

“In kampung, people get paid RM35 per day working for 12 hours. This is the reality of Malaysia that people don’t see.” - Chef Fikri Jalil

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest Introduction

01:09 - Growing up in a laid back city - Ipoh

02:47 - Must-try Nasi Ganja and Mee Kicap in Ipoh

04:15 - “I wanted to become a National Geographic photographer.”

05:34  - The magic cup my mom owns in the kitchen

07:20 - Dropping out of college and working part-time in F&B

10:21 - “It’s all about teamwork.”

12:39 - My first promotion at the basement of a hotel

16:30 - His thoughts on the stigma around Malay employees in F&B

20:02 - When did you know it was time to go home?

24:37 - How Galanggal started from a street stall

27:21 - Getting over doubtful thoughts

28:40 - Galanggal’s concept

30:40 - Creating dishes: Travelling online by watching independent YouTubers

33:36 - What is fusion cooking?

36:10 - Sourcing ingredients & herbs from home garden

38:28 - Respect the ingredients and don’t just stir-fry everything

40:30 - The best way to cook a cabbage

43:04 - The need to learn new things wakes me up in the morning

44:37 - Challenges in starting a restaurant in Ipoh

46:40 - Developing bold seasonal flavours

47:35 - Are Ipohrians more open to spending more $ on good food?

49:00 - Working 12 hours & getting paid RM35 per day

51:09 - Advice for you who wants to start your own F&B

Dato Chef Zamzani Abdul Wahab was that chubby kid in school that became a target of bully by both his peers and teachers. All it took was one person to believe in him and today, he’s a celebrity chef, co-founder of Food Aid Foundation Malaysia and the visionary behind Rich Talents International College. This is an episode where you’ll hear waves of laughter as Chef Zam recalls his past in the most light-hearted and humorous way possible.

“Nobody is born stupid. Everybody has got talent. If you’re stupid, you can learn. If you are lazy, there’s no cure (tak ada ubat).” - Dato Chef Zam

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest Introduction

01:24 -  Growing up in Kuala Terengganu with a single mom

04:29 - Traumatic experience at the hospital

06:50 - Getting bullied by peers and teachers at school

09:49 - How the bully affected him emotionally: “I hated being seen.”

13:11 - Weight loss surgery journey: Gastric bypass

19:27 - How his life as a chef began in 1990

21:58 - Working experience in New York City

26:44 - “America changed me and opened me up.”

28:00 - Helping more than 7 million people with Food Aid Foundation

31:22 - Food wastage: Reconciling the work he does for NGO and the restaurant industry

33:51 - The struggles of Malaysia families during the Movement Control Order

36:00 - Starting Rich Talents International College

41:22 -  His view on the culinary education in Malaysia

44:18 - Challenges in starting a college

47:02 - The vision

49:28 - What is the meaning of life?

50:49 - Must-try food in Terengganu: Nasi Dagang

Robin Lim is the founder of Superfruits Valley in Perlis, one of the largest superfruits farms in Malaysia. Spanning 50 hectares with 40 greenhouses, Robin’s farm grows superfruits like gac, fig, passion fruit and cape gooseberry - with nutritional benefits that will blow your mind. In this episode, the modern farmer shows us how it's done, the importance of building up the next-gen of farmers and of course, life in Perlis.

“Agriculture will not be wrong. Growing the right things for the right market is very important. And you need to analyse yourself on the market demand, rather than listening to others.” - Robin Lim

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest introduction

01:12 - Life in Perlis

03:10 - Must-try food in Perlis - Ikan Bakar & Ikan Puyu

03:57 - Growing up as a kampung boy in Malaysia

04:58 - Going from construction to farm life

07:08 - How-to commercialise superfruits

09:40 - Difference between growing superfruits vs. fruits

10:39 - Challenges in farming

12:20 - Buyers: Locals, Jaya Grocer, Qra and other delivery platforms

13:22 - Thoughts on imported fruits & local fruits

14:56 - Superfruits Valley giving opportunities to locals and birthing the next generation of farmers

18:28 - Using freeze-dry technology by NASA

20:22 - Benefits of superfruits for the skin, eyes and heart

22:17 - Promoting nutritional security and making a difference in Perlis

23:54 - Advice for people studying agriculture/ going into the farming business

ZUS Coffee is the newest coffee chain in Malaysia that has grown from two outlets within two years of the pandemic to a total of 71 outlets, in six states across the country. Co-founder Terence Ho, born in Ipoh and raised in Kuala Lumpur, comes on the show to profess his love for Starbucks & HaiDiLao and how he modelled his start-up after these brands. He also shares about taking the road less travelled, being called a “kopi boy” by his parents and recognizing a problem as an opportunity to deliver quality coffee throughout Malaysia.

“I did a bit of reflection and found that weakness is strength in disguise. That’s how we’ve always been approaching all our problems.” - Terence Ho

Timestamps:

00:00 - Guest Intro

00:54 - KL: A City of Options

3:18 - Must-Eats in KL: Banana Leaf

4:05 - First introduction into the coffee space

6:16 - ZUS Coffee early days

7:19 - Life prior to ZUS Coffee

7:58 - The 3 waves of Coffee

9:58 - Specialty Coffee vs. Commercial Coffee

11:42 - Biggest contributing factor to the company's growth 

13:04 - The hardest state to penetrate in Malaysia

14:30 - Thoughts that keep me up at night

16:20 - “It is always about how we treat people.”

18:28 - Appealing to the memories of people when creating

21:35 - The Making of Signature ZUS Gula Melaka

23:12 - Learning from the big brothers

25:36 - How the app became a crucial part of ZUS

27:23 - ZUS value

28:18 - Improving the barista industry in Malaysia

30:55 - Do you actually like drinking coffee OR be seen drinking coffee?

32:34 - Going international with ZUS Coffee

33:33 - Advice: Weakness is strength in disguise