Ernest Ang began studying how to prepare his grandmother’s food three years ago. When he was 16 decades old, he discovered a love of baking, and at age 20, he made the decision to study his grandmother’s recipes for joy because he grew up consuming them. Before he was born, his aunt used to run a little Peranakan restaurant, which ran for about 10 years before shutting down due to family issues.  ,
So his persistence paid off after months of pushing his popo to deliver her knowledge.
” I kept’ poking’ her, and every day she cooked for us, I helped her prep. I observed ]her cooking], and over time she gave in more and more”, he said.  ,
Why are Granny’s dishes so mysterious? There is no right or wrong formula for Peranakan cuisine. Every Peranakan family recipe is unique, and the people who make it appreciate it like a valuable gem, she obliquely explained.  ,
Ang added:” Because of her declining memory and health, it took her some time to recognise my passion for cooking]and finally share her recipes ]”. He acknowledges that he probably wo n’t be able to give them the full recipes if he ever employs a cook to help out at his eatery.  ,
However, he boldly said that everything on the list has attained his grandmother’s hard-earned stamp of approval:” She has to approve]and flavor all the food ] first, before I add it to the menu”.  ,
As we’d hope from Ang’s standard grandma, the elder’s first reaction to his company was not the most motivated.
” She was like,’ why do n’t you want to get a job outside? ‘,’ trigger in my grandmother’s experience, the F&, B business is not very secure. First, she was not very friendly of it. But she supports whatever I do, but if I insist, she’s fine with it”, he said.
Now, the elder has come around, and even paid half of Ang’s S$ 80, 000 ( US$ 61, 980 ) investment to open the eatery, while he forked out the remaining S$ 40, 000 using savings from part-time jobs he took on while studying in poly.  ,
But why did Ernest Ang, who has a certificate in Electronics from Nanyang Polytechnic, decide to open his own restaurant?
” When I ORD’ed, I wanted to go and work’ cause I do n’t like studying. But the job market was bad, and my CV was n’t strong, so I got quite a lot of job rejections”, he shared. Ang told us he applied for F&, B jobs as an operations manager, as he does n’t enjoy engineering.  ,
He claimed that after discussing it with his companions, who encouraged him, that six months is a short period of time to quit his job search. His parents, who both work in completely different industries ( his dad sells sensors, and his mom works in HR ), were also encouraging right away.
As long as I can provide them with a compelling reason for why I want to do it, he said,” My parents are quite supportive, they do n’t object what I want to do.”
He added:” I looked into why most F&, B businesses fail, and asked my friends ]who have parents in the] scene also. The money flow is fine first, but when there’s no steady product, it can only last so much until the company starts losing money. But when I look at it, my goods quality is absolutely fine, since it’s my grandmother’s formula. And unlike many people in the scene, I do n’t come in just for the cash grab.
” Of program, money is important but it’s more about honouring my grandmother’s foods. ”  ,