Consuming conventional kueh is one thing most individuals have fondly loved with their dad and mom or grandparents.
However for 55-year-old Sandy Tan and her daughter, 31-year-old Elizabeth Chan, they might even say it was the glue that introduced them collectively.
The 2 girls are the co-founders of Kueh Ho Jiak, which has discovered its declare to fame by placing a contemporary spin on old-school confectioneries.
They’re finest identified for his or her signature vibrant ang ku kueh, made in a wide range of enjoyable shapes like flowers, fish, hearts and even cartoon characters.
Beginning out as a house enterprise again in 2011, their motivation was to make kueh interesting to kids in order that its tradition won’t fade away.
4 Generations Of Kueh Makers
The artwork of creating nonya kueh has been of their household for 4 generations, tracing again to the times when Sandy grew up in a kampung.
She describes her childhood to be enjoyable and filled with adventures, as she and her 10 siblings would cycle, catch guppies, and watch aeroplanes close to their dwelling take off.
Sandy’s grandmother bought kueh from a meals cart within the 1930s, then handed it all the way down to Sandy’s mom.
Sandy began out serving to her mom with sundry duties like gathering dishes, and later realized the best way to make just a few sorts of kueh when she was 13.
“Generally, I sneakily made some ondeh ondeh on the market [besides the kueh I made for my mum], in order that I may earn extra pocket cash,” she reminisces.
Though many years had handed when she determined to revive her household’s commerce, Sandy was nonetheless a pure at choosing up the recipes once more from the web.
Then again, Elizabeth admits that studying the best way to make kueh from scratch was fairly difficult for her.
“The hours are very lengthy and it may be very tedious. [You also have to] hold stirring the dough nonstop in order that it gained’t get burnt,” she shares.
As she practiced underneath her mum’s steering, changing into the fourth era of kueh makers in her household, one factor Elizabeth realized was that kueh are “very delicate”.
“Loads of persistence and energy is required. If they don’t seem to be ready nicely with love, they may spoil very simply.”
A Household Reunion Turned Into A Household Enterprise
Sandy and Elizabeth credit score Kueh Ho Jiak for bringing them nearer and serving to them recognize one another extra.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t straightforward for them to construct the sturdy relationship they’ve now.
In an interview with The Royal Singapore, Elizabeth shared that her father was killed throughout a enterprise journey in China when she was solely one-year-old.
Abruptly having to grapple with this tragedy and her new life as a single mum, Sandy left to work in a on line casino in Australia to offer for her daughter.
Fortunately, Elizabeth’s grandmother was in a position to assist deal with her. However not having each of her dad and mom round gave her a troubled childhood, and led her to grow to be rebellious in her teenagers.
She dropped out of faculty at 14, however nonetheless managed to finish her ‘N’ and ‘O’ Ranges privately after she discovered the motivation to proceed finding out at 17.
It was solely when Elizabeth had a child just a few years later that Sandy stop her job and returned to Singapore.
[My mum told me] she felt responsible that she wasn’t by my facet all through my childhood. So she needed to return again to deal with my daughter and provides her our greatest.
Elizabeth Chan, co-founder of Kueh Ho Jiak
The household was lastly reunited, and Sandy totally devoted herself to taking care of her granddaughter.
Finally, when her granddaughter began attending preschool, she poured that free time into making kueh.
“Mum fell in love with making kueh once more. Every time she gave some to our household and associates, they might order extra to reward to others, after which the recipients would begin to order from her too,” Elizabeth says.
Being “an outspoken and outgoing girl”, Sandy didn’t simply cease at mastering the standard recipe — she dreamed of making her personal model of vibrant but wholesome ang ku kueh.
To do that, she ditched the same old glutinous rice pores and skin and experimented with utilizing candy potatoes to make her personal dough.
It was no easy feat, as candy potatoes spoil simply in Singapore’s scorching local weather.
“I nonetheless keep in mind how a lot dough and kueh she has thrown away over time to realize the usual we’ve right this moment. It seems like an infinite quantity!” Elizabeth laughs.
Making Kueh Is A Spherical-The-Clock Job
Initially, Elizabeth helped to do Sandy’s kueh deliveries whereas she ran her personal curtain enterprise.
Juggling each was manageable at first, however as Kueh Ho Jiak’s orders grew, she realised it could quickly require her full dedication.
Giving up her personal enterprise was a troublesome choice, because it had been doing nicely for years. The earnings she earned from it was comfy sufficient that Sandy didn’t must work and will even afford to journey.
“I used to be at all times asking myself if I used to be ready to have a change of life-style and dealing surroundings. As I’ve a daughter now, the sudden lower of earnings and the uncertainty was one thing that held me again.”
It wasn’t straightforward — I took over a 12 months to ponder earlier than I made a decision to take the braveness to decide on one of many two. Finally, I felt that Kueh Ho Jiak was the larger goal in my life.
Elizabeth Chan, co-founder of Kueh Ho Jiak
Ever since she took the plunge, her days have been packed from morning to nighttime, however Elizabeth believes the sacrifice is price it.
She begins the day by sending her daughter to high school and getting some train. Then she takes care of selling, accounts, and conferences by way of the morning.
“At midday my mum and I’ll begin cooking the components from scratch, and within the night we’ll mould the kueh, often till 11pm.”
When it was simply the 2 of them, Sandy and Elizabeth may solely afford two hours of shut-eye earlier than they acquired again to the grind.
They needed to begin steaming the entire kueh at 1am, so as to convey them to their stall at 6am earlier than opening time.
Kueh Ho Jiak opens their stall from 7.30am to 2pm, however their cabinets are typically emptied by midday.
In the previous couple of years, they’ve elevated their manpower in order that they’ll save extra time for relaxation.
Studying From A Pricey Mistake
After working Kueh Ho Jiak from dwelling for a while, they determined to attempt bringing their creations to a bodily store.
They moved into Ci Yuan Hawker Centre in Hougang in 2015. Nevertheless, it didn’t final lengthy as the value of lease “virtually doubled” after their first 12 months.
They’d higher luck after they took their second shot in 2017, opening a stall in Tanjong Pagar Plaza Meals Centre that is still sturdy until right this moment.
Alongside the way in which, in addition they needed to study a expensive lesson after they tried to broaden down a unique route.
In 2019, they opened a café outlet at East Village in Bedok. However this turned out to be “a mistake”, based on Elizabeth.
Though it obtained a crowd on weekends, prospects that walked by way of their doorways on weekdays have been “very scattered”.
Finally, they felt that they might not justify bearing the rental prices for simply two good days of enterprise every week.
The failed enterprise value them “6-digit figures”, however Elizabeth considers it as a part of the expertise.
I assume that’s the lifetime of an entrepreneur. Nevertheless, if you happen to love what you’re doing and have a ardour for it, you’ll positively discover a strategy to break by way of.
Elizabeth Chan, co-founder of Kueh Ho Jiak
For them, the breakthrough was understanding their viewers higher, and scaling again to concentrate on issues that labored.
Whereas serving kueh in a café setting didn’t fly, that they had a robust base of normal followers on-line and at their hawker stall.
On prime of that, in addition they obtained a wholesome demand for hands-on experiences after they organise kueh-making workshops.
40 To 50 Per Cent Extra On-line Orders Throughout ‘Circuit Breaker’
Regardless of just a few bumps within the street, Kueh Ho Jiak gained loads of recognition that affirmed their relentless efforts.
One of the notable achievements was being chosen to serve their kueh for President Halimah Yacob on the Istana.
However regardless of how far they’ve gone, the smallest shows of appreciation nonetheless imply the world to Sandy and Elizabeth.
“Seeing the grins on prospects’ faces after they eat our kueh at all times makes us really feel very liked.”
Even after the COVID-19 outbreak hit, prospects continued to pour out their help on-line.
Whereas most F&B companies have struggled through the ‘circuit breaker’ interval, Kueh Ho Jiak surprisingly noticed gross sales improve by “40 to 50 per cent”.
Prospects have particularly been eager to ship packing containers of kueh to their dad and mom whereas they’re unable to go to throughout this time.
“Each time I kind out their personalised messages, I really feel so touched by what they’ve written — asking their dad and mom to be good, keep dwelling, and so forth,” Elizabeth says.
“She By no means Offers Up No Matter How Robust Life Was”
After every thing they’ve been by way of prior to now, having the ability to begin a enterprise together with her mom has been really particular to Elizabeth.
“The extra we labored collectively, the extra strengths we began seeing in one another, and the extra we began to grasp one another.”
“It’s like every day I’m discovering and piecing up lacking jigsaws from my childhood [when she wasn’t with me],” she says.
In fact, at all times being in concord each at work and at house is “simpler mentioned than executed”. Nevertheless, they’ve realized that crucial factor is having the ability to compromise and take a step again when opinions differ.
All through the journey of Kueh Ho Jiak, Elizabeth has continually been impressed by Sandy’s ardour and dedication.
She by no means provides up regardless of how powerful life was. She persevered in every thing she did.
Even supposing my dad handed on after I was very younger, she didn’t quit on life, she was very optimistic, she labored very onerous for the household.
Even when she began making kueh, she failed umpteen occasions, however she [never stopped developing them] to realize the style we’ve right this moment.
Elizabeth Chan, co-founder of Kueh Ho Jiak
The mother-and-daughter duo have been instructed that they have been “loopy” to place in a lot effort when they’re solely promoting kueh in a hawker centre, not a resort.
“But it surely has by no means stopped us from creating one thing totally different, as a result of we take pleasure in what we do,” Elizabeth says.
To get a style of their labour of affection, go to Kueh Ho Jiak right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Kueh Ho Jiak