Creative Capital: The food entrepreneur who's re-energising heritage dishes

CNA Lifestyle

Creative Capital: The food entrepreneur who's re-energising heritage dishes

Jeremy Nguee is the man behind the spice pastes of Batu Lesung Spice Company and the confections of MRS KUEH. And because of COVID-nineteen, he's now launched Dream Shop, a new takeaway and delivery service.

24 May 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 02 Feb 2022 12:05PM)

In the skilful times (remember those?), if you were 1 of those red-soled, fancy-watch-wearing folk whose faces ever filled the pages of our society magazines, chances were, at one of the many luxury events you attended, you'd eaten food conceived of and cooked by Jeremy Nguee.

His catering visitor Preparazzi has been, for many years, the go-to food producer for the finest luxury houses here in town.

Jeremy also owns 2 other businesses, one selling spice pastes and the other, local cakes (among them, arguably the best kueh salat in boondocks). But until this year, Preparazzi had been the bigger of the businesses.

But what happens when all of your contracts for that business concern all of a sudden disappear? What do you practice?

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For Jeremy, when every unmarried catering job was cancelled in the span of ii weeks considering of the pandemic, he had to pin, and pivot apace.

His solution was to launch Dream Shop, a takeaway and commitment service producing gourmet hawker classics. Dream Shop's dishes tackle the longstanding question of what your humble but beloved hawker dish would taste similar if were cooked with the absolute best ingredients.

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But such deliciousness comes at a price. Dream Store's dishes are non cheap. Notwithstanding, they've been selling out – partly because of the support his customers are showing to Jeremy and his team, and partly because, in my stance, they really are worth the price.

I sat downwards with my former friend Jeremy to conversation about his businesses old and new.

HI, JEREMY. WERE You lot ALWAYS INTO FOOD? WHAT'South YOUR Primeval Food MEMORY?

Food was a big part of my childhood. Many of my childhood memories are continued to a dish or a repast, because of my family's rythym. My mum ever had friends over for tea and she loved to bake and try new recipes. She would make amazing chocolate flake cookies that nosotros would also put in jars to sell for fund raisers. I have fond memories of her making DIY pizzas in the AMC pan over the stove, and strange meatloaf recipes with a thick ketchup on the meridian.

My grandma watched us kids in the 24-hour interval and for lunch at that place would be things like potato slices with minced meat, or long beans with hae bee hiam. In the hours before dinner, y'all could odour the frying of the rempah for chicken back-scratch. As soon as it was done, I'd beg her for a bowl way before dinner time. She would give me a small-scale chicken wing and slice of white potato that was still firm because information technology hadn't had time to soften.

One of my first memories outside the home was going for high tea at Goodwood Park Hotel. It was the first time I had scones. I ate like five, with clotted cream and strawberry jam. At that place was also an water ice cream bar there and I could enquire for as many scoops every bit I liked.

YOU STARTED YOUR CAREER AS A TAX ACCOUNTANT. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

To piece of work with food was e'er a dream of mine, but a family friend wisely advised that I take up a professional degree that would agree me in expert stead in example I changed my heed. While at SMU, I was kindly offered a scholarship with PricewaterhouseCoopers revenue enhancement and I took that upward. Afterwards I graduated, I served out my bond. It was very skilful training for me. I learnt a lot in that location about dealing with clients and managing teams – these days, it'south called "managing expectations". It was a challenging time, but I had very skilful managers and leaders at that place who fabricated sure I was engaged and learned the values of professionalism and words like "business development".

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YOUR CAREER IN FOOD STARTED WHEN YOU WON A MARTELL COMPETITION. CAN You lot TELL ME MORE Well-nigh THAT? WHAT WAS YOUR WINNING PITCH?

The Martell VSOP Ultimate Commencement-Up Space was an thought to provide seed money and infinite to a winning idea for one year. It was an amazing feel. I met many awesome Singaporeans, many who take gone on to grow their ideas, like Colin at General Co and Jacqueline at Prep. The competition also put me in touch with INSEAD, where I met the late Patrick Turner. He taught me virtually entrepreneurship. I got the chance to report there for two weeks and I met very talented people from around the earth. I also learnt more business terms similar "gaining traction" and "social capital". Very useful when you demand to increase your customers' "willingness to pay".

HOW DIFFERENT WAS THE REALITY OF RUNNING YOUR Own Business concern FROM THAT ORIGINAL PITCH?

The original idea was to provide loftier-quality, healthful meals to busy people and their families – nosotros practise all the piece of work, you claim all the credit. It was a predecesssor to many of the bento concepts bachelor today. Simply it took a lot more than logistical resource and processing power than I initially idea to consolidate, and I didn't recollect to cluster club for preparation and delivery. The business transformed partly through necessity.

Preparazzi became an a events caterer providing bespoke menus for customer engagement activities, and that's what we however do to this day. Information technology'southward still partly nearly healthy, high quality meals, just tailored more to corporate needs. So, while these days nosotros work mostly with marketing and business organization development teams, the mantra nevertheless remains, "We do all the work, yous claim all the credit". Our clients really like that.

TODAY, You RUN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT ENTERPRISES. Can YOU WALK United states of america THROUGH THEM?

Certain. Nosotros have Preparazzi that does events catering. Batu Lesung Spice Visitor makes super high-quality spice pastes and sambals. And and then there's MRS KUEH, which I co-founded with my mother. I also help other companies with F&B consulting work similar planning a new space and menu, or curating the food programme for a festival.

A lot of the consulting piece of work has been driven less by business opportunity, just more than because of a burning desire to try to challenge the norm in Singapore. In the last decade, I take had the take a chance to travel for work and cook in places similar St Petersburg and Djakarta. As I travelled, I realised that in other countries, Singapore nutrient was not merely pop but also regarded as highly every bit other gourmet cuisines. In some of those places, if you lot know what Katong laksa is, yous're cool.

Batu Lesung was created because I felt, at that time, that popular spice pastes were not very good. I wanted to piece of work with something that was almost magical. What if you lot could create the "essence of back-scratch", an elixir that infused the complex and comforting flavours of Singapore into any dish. I wanted a spice paste that I could fold into potato puree, into sous-vide dishes, as a marinade for grilled lamb chops, and so on. I found a kindred spirit in Kak Huda of Asyura. She has been making spice pastes for the Singapore community for more than than a decade at present and helped to developed a special recipe merely for me. And thus Batu Lesung Spice Visitor was born.

MRS KUEH is the most personal for me as I get to work with my female parent. I am then proud of her and am happiest seeing her become the rock star treatment when people detect out she's the chef behind MRS KUEH. Friends had been encouraging her to exercise something for herself for decades, simply she had always put her ain ambitions aside to wait afterward the children and the family.

In every family, there'south that one person who has ever been self-sacrificing; they put themselves aside for the family. And often, they prove their love and care by cooking for us. This is who MRS KUEH refers to. We hope to pay homage to these women and men, and hope their families volition never forget their individuality or take them for granted.

YOUR LATEST VENTURE, DREAM SHOP, WAS CREATED AS A RESPONSE TO WHAT'Due south HAPPENED DUE TO COVID-19. TELL US Nigh THAT.

In February, in the span of a fortnight, all of Preparazzi'southward events were cancelled, so we knew that we would be left without any work for at least iii months. I knew we had to create a production that did not rely on our B2B aqueduct, something that customers could purchase. Only our Preparazzi menus were not feasible for retail.

The dishes at Dream Shop were not conceived overnight, though. They are an development of dishes that I take been cooking at dwelling house for my friends and family. I've been trying to replicate my favourite hawker dishes, hoping to demystify recipes and learn the skills required to reproduce these dishes. To say information technology's non easy is a huge understatement. Many of these love dishes are not so much a product of ingredients as they are of sheer skill. For instance, the quality of a steak is often adamant by the kind of beef you're working with. The same can be said for seafood dishes. Recollect near how the quality of ootoro and uni in a chirashi affects the dish. But char kway teow? You need skillful noodles, skillful soy sauce and and then a tremendous corporeality of skill. Skill makes it char kway teow and not the garden-variety fried rice noodles yous become at a inexpensive hotel breakfast buffet.

The dream in Dream Shop is me imagining what our favourite dishes could be without price constraints. I hope my own versions inspire both hawkers and home cooks to also create their own versions. I organised an upshot last twelvemonth called The Kueh Kueh Symposium and was very blest to have many of the kueh kueh crafters participate. The OG, Mdm Chin of Glory Catering, shared with us how her green pandan came about. Tin you imagine that before her, all kaya was brown? At the end of our panel session, she said, "It'southward not and then of import to stick to an authentic grandma's recipe. It'southward more important that you will cook information technology for your family and that your children like it." This reflects my heart and I have been lucky to observe an opporunity to manifest these dishes in Dream Shop.

Dream Shop offers local dishes made with quality ingredients (Photo: Dream Store)

HOW HAS THE RECEPTION TO DREAM Shop BEEN?

Honestly, it'southward been really fantastic and I am and so grateful. Many people accept been ownership from Dream Store, every bit well every bit Batu Lesung Spice Company and MRS KUEH with what I tin merely phone call a vigorous frenzy. Slots fill speedily, and Batu Lesung Spice Company is unfortunately sold out half the time. While the current work-from-home situation fuels this ownership, I also believe that many of our customers are making their purchases because they really want to support us. That kind of encouragement gives me forcefulness.

At that place ARE A NUMBER OF CHEFS THESE DAYS DOING "MODERN SINGAPOREAN" OR "GOURMET SINGAPOREAN" FOOD. HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR FOOD STAND OUT?

I don't try to think about this question. The more difficult question to answer is, "What practice you really want to make? What do yous want to say?" These questions guide the menu for each Dream Shop carte du jour iteration.

It makes me so happy to see more young chefs being unabashed about making Singaporean heritage dishes. While we volition nonetheless have modern fusion guys making nasi lemak burgers or laksa pastas, I am super excited that the young boys and girls carrying on our culinary heritage are getting more air time. I have deep respect for the folks at 545 Whampoa Prawn Mee, Bukit Merah View Kway Chap, Jin Ji Braised duck, Ratu Lemper and Rainbow Lapis. What they are doing is so good then important.

WHAT IS THE Near Important THING Yous Take LEARNED As AN ENTREPRENEUR?

That I'grand not as clever or as good as I recollect I am. It's good to be confident and to be optimistic, simply keeping those attributes in bank check will assistance you keep a level head and exist realistic nearly your plans. Learn to depend on your team and trust them. Invest in your customers as well, not because they gave you lot a lot of business organisation, but because they believed in you and trusted you not to spiral up.

AND WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST SURPRISE Then FAR?

That strangers and people not related to me care for me and my team. I started a masterclass last December and information technology has been doing pretty well. The limited slots get booked out rapidly, so I was aggressive and offered five classes in April. The classes were fully booked in a couple of hours. We collected all the fees up front, and were looking forward to a fun time of talking nutrient and cooking. But then the "circuit breaker" meaures were announced. I had to postpone all the classes to May, only the circuit breaker measures were extended and I realised I would take to refund all the participants' fees. I had already used much of the funds for salaries – I couldn't conduct to brand the team take a pay cutting – and was wondering where we would become the funds from. Amazingly, all but ii participants told me to but hold on to the class fees and that they were looking frontwards to attending whenever we could hold the classes once again. I felt so emotional when I received their replies.

WITH A NUMBER OF Different ENTERPRISES, DO YOU SOMETIMES FEEL YOU SHOULD FOCUS ENTIRELY ON ONE? IF Yous HAD TO, WHICH 1 WOULD Yous CHOOSE AND WHY?

I sometimes feel like I should, but so many learnings and capabilities come from operating different brands in different segments. Not only for me only for my team too. Over the years, my catering and product chefs have learnt how to make sambal, and at present kueh kueh, also. We were able to pivot faster because we had some insights into retail customers based on Batu Lesung Spice Visitor and MRS KUEH. The ii retail brands benefit from the firepower of a larger kitchen and experienced chefs. Nosotros have the ability to create pop-ups and particpate in collabs with a brusk turnaround time.

It's probably a bad idea to keep too many tops spinning, just it makes sense for now. Plus, it's more fun! Otherwise, why would y'all exist a small business owner? By the way, I am not worthy of beingness called an entrepreneur. Non yet, at least.

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES You lot?

My family unit comes immediately to mind. Not that they inspire me with lofty and kind thoughts, but they make sure I piece of work harder and try harder. I always think of whether my married woman Shu or my son Shane will like the dish I'm making, or just express joy in my face and say it's boring. That kind of criticism is fierce, you know. You always desire your family to be proud of you.

WHAT KIND OF LEGACY DO YOU WANT TO Leave BEHIND?

I would like to be remembered as the person who gave a new generation a renewed pride in their heritage cooking. I hope the work influences people in subtle but important ways: It makes you lot crave kueh kueh more than than you would a cupcake. It makes you want to cook a curry on your first appointment. And I want that appointment to be impressed by that. Perhaps I would also like to be remembered as MR KUEH.

Creative Capital: The food entrepreneur who's re-energising heritage dishes

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