Additional Coverage:
- I opened a restaurant with my grandma’s recipes. I work 12-hour days and struggled to make rent, but I don’t regret it. (businessinsider.com)
From Engineering to Eatery: 24-Year-Old Follows His Gut (and Grandma’s Recipes) to Culinary Success
At 24, Ernest Ang, owner of Kokoyo Nyonya, a Peranakan food stall in Singapore, already has a fascinating career change under his belt. Ditching the world of electronics engineering, Ang pursued his true passion: his grandmother’s incredible cooking. He now serves up delicious Peranakan cuisine – a fusion of Malay, Chinese, and Indian flavors – to a growing clientele.
Ang admits he wasn’t always welcome in the kitchen. Early on, his family worried he’d burn the house down.
So when he announced his restaurant ambitions, his grandmother, a former hawker stall owner, was skeptical. But Ang was determined.
He knew office life wasn’t for him, and after brief forays into HR and administrative roles, he decided to take a chance on his culinary heritage.
The first hurdle? Persuading his grandmother to share her closely guarded recipes.
For months, Ang diligently observed her cooking, meticulously taking notes while she seasoned and measured ingredients “by gut feeling.” It was a culinary apprenticeship like no other.
Eventually, his persistence paid off, and he managed to standardize her time-honored recipes for restaurant production.
In August 2024, Kokoyo Nyonya Delights was born. Backed by a $62,000 investment (including a contribution from his grandmother!), Ang set up shop in Singapore’s Serangoon neighborhood. The menu, vetted by his grandmother, featured classic Peranakan dishes like inchi kabin (fried chicken), beef rendang, and babi pongteh (braised pork).
Ang’s days quickly became filled with the aromas of spices and the sizzle of woks. He arrives by 9 a.m. to prepare everything fresh daily (grandma’s orders!), working until after 9 p.m. He recounts the 23-step, three-hour process for cooking rice, a testament to the dedication required for authentic Peranakan cuisine.
Initial success brought a wave of new customers, and Ang had to adapt quickly, even occasionally deviating from his grandmother’s traditional methods to handle the increased demand. High rent and the local clientele’s spending habits led him to relocate less than a year later. Now situated in a smaller stall in Singapore’s affluent Sixth Avenue, Ang pays half the rent and operates with a leaner team.
The long hours and daily challenges of running a restaurant have taken their toll. Ang admits to working seven days a week, sacrificing his social life in the process.
But despite the difficulties, he has no regrets. Every day brings new challenges, but also new rewards, as he continues to honor his grandmother’s legacy, one delicious dish at a time.