What was your dream career growing up?
For many born in the 1990s, it would have been “doctor”, “teacher” and “lawyer” – but the times have changed, and according to a survey published earlier this year, children aged 7 to 14 have listed “entrepreneur” as one of the top three career aspirations.
It’s not a surprising result, since children tend to take the lead from inspirational figures, and the prevalence of successful entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Jack Ma, and our local “chief gamer” Min-Liang Tan these days has made entrepreneurship a very attractive career to work towards.
In the recent years, many in their 20s and early 30s have taken the leap of faith and gone into the F&B industry, most of whom open themed cafes selling popular brunch items like Eggs Benedict, French Toast alongside (frequently touted as ‘artisan’) coffee concoctions.
However, there are some who are taking the road less glamourous, and are venturing into opening stores in hawker centres and coffeeshops – places where you usually find owners from the older generations.
Their presence comes as a breath of fresh air to Singapore’s hawker scene, which has been touted by CNN as facing an “increasingly […] dire future”, in spite of how it’s an essential part of Singaporean culture.
This is due to the lack of ownership succession (that is, the children of current hawkers taking over their parents’ business), and also how the trade is not fancied by the younger generation due to the gruelling hours of physical labour in an environment which doesn’t offer the comforts of a typical office.
The Government has realised this, and came up with the Hawker Master Trainer Pilot Programme, jointly launched by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) in 2013, which saw 50 trainees undergoing on-the-job training with veteran hawkers.
Image Credit: WDA Singapore’s Tumblr
Trainees would then have the chance to run incubation hawker stalls in hawker centres for a period of time; after which, they’ll need to tender for their own stalls under NEA’s Tender Scheme.
However, the programme has met with not-so-encouraging results.
Earlier this year, Channel NewsAsia reported that only about 5 out of 46 trainees are still in business. Said Mr Vincent Tan, a 45-year-old who set up a chicken rice store after apprenticeship at an established restaurant, the situation became less rosy after shifting to a third location in June 2015.
“I went to Jalan Besar, one of the coffeeshops, and for six months, there was no crowd. At first, it was not bad, [but] after that, [there was] no outside crowd. From there I gave up,” he said.
Another trainee, Graphic designer Mr Cedric Ng’s attempt also fell through, and he cited financial constraints and the capital needed to start up as a barrier that couldn’t be overcome.
While the future of the programme and our hawker culture are still hard to determine, we decided to compile a list of young hawkerpreneurs currently doing their bit to make a difference:
1. Crab Meat Wanton Mee
Image Credit: ieatishootipost.sg
Owner(s): Raymond, 28, who picked up his skills from Youtube videos
Speciality: Crab meat-filled wantons with meat sourced fresh and daily from Jurong Port
Address: 560 Macpherson Road, Singapore 368233
2. Coffee Break
Image Credit: TODAY
Owner(s): A trio of siblings who are the 3rd generation running the store (started in 1935 as San Hai Yuan at East Reclamation Road); Jack Sai, 32, and twins Faye and Anna, 29
Speciality: Traditional sock-brewed coffee and toasted kaya toast with a modern twist, for example, Black Sesame Toast and Iced Caramel Latte
Address: Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Road #02-78, Singapore 069111
Jack, an undergraduate from Singapore Management University’s School of Social Sciences with a degree in political science, was the first to join the family business full-time in 2011, while Faye, his sister who graduate of the Singapore Institute of Management and majored in marketing, explored other opportunities (including a two-year stint as a sports and events marketing executive with the Volleyball Association of Singapore). A passion for speciality coffee led her to pick up the craft of pulling a proper espresso at Selfish Gene Cafe and Strangers’ Reunion for about a year before she, too, joined the family business.
Faye said her brother’s decision to run the stall was driven by “a passion for something to call his own”, while her sister Anna, who previously worked as a pre-school teacher, only joined last October.
This is still a business their father owns, and while they keep their focus on preserving the tradition of sock-brewed local coffee, their father remains “supportive” of the innovative new additions to the menu, which include sock-brewed espresso-based drinks, from lattes to Americanos to flavoured coffees.
More people see being a hawker as a viable career, Faye said, adding that with the growing focus on preserving heritage, it has become trendy. She shared how a customer, who worked in a bank, was inspired by their youthful confidence and opened a fish soup stall of his own.
3. Tom’s Citizoom Mee Pok Tar
Image Credit: hungrygowhere.co
Owner(s): Tom, 31, who already has 7 years of hawker experience under his belt
Speciality: Fish Chor Mee, a play on the usual Bak Chor Mee which is usually served with pork
Address: Blk 20, Ghim Moh Road #01-11
Tom Loo, 31, of Tom’s Cityzoom Mee Pok Tar in Ghim Moh, who felt the calling to be a hawker too hard to resist. The graduate from Singapore Polytechnic started learning how to make fish balls from a friend’s mother right after he did his National Service in 2007 and opened a stall the following year with his savings (the kitchen equipment was sponsored by a friend’s mother).
“My diploma is in computer and network engineering and has nothing to do with my current job; maybe maths helps me calculate my income,” he joked.
4. Truly Curry Rice
Image Credit: johorkaki.blogspot.sg
Owner(s): Ex-Forex traders Joel and Deniece, both under 30, and Joshua, Joel’s younger brother. They have since grown from their stall in Telok Blangah Food Centre to Truly Test Kitchen, a coffeeshop with stalls selling different items
Speciality: Hainanese curry rice with homecooked-style side dishes
Address: Truly Test Kitchen, 153 Kampong Ampat #07-05, Singapore 368326
5. Habib’s Rojak
Image Credit: ieatishootipost.sg
Owner(s): Habib Mohamed, 28, a 2nd-generation hawker who took over the stall from his father, who opened the stall in 1988
Speciality: Indian-style rojak, which is painstakingly handmade by Habib from 3am each day
Address: Ayer Rajah Food Centre, Block 503 West Coast Drive, Stall 68
6. Lim Soup “The Art Of Soup”
Owner(s): Chong Chee Siang, 30 and ex-banker Eric Lim, 42
Speciality: Old Coconut Chicken Soup. Their soups are prided to contain no MSG or pre-made stocks of any kind
Address: Dong Fong Fatt Coffeeshop, 161 Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 150161
7. Jin Ji Braised Duck
Image Credit: misstamchiak.com
Owner(s): Melvin, a 2nd-generation hawker who took over the business from his father who had been running the stall for over 30 years
Speciality: Duck Rice packed into a bento box, with Japanese Ramen-style runny yolk eggs
Address: Chinatown Complex, Blk 335 Smith Street #02-156, Singapore 050335
8. 545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles
Owner(s): Li Ruifang, the 3rd-generation owner who worked in an MNC before taking over the business which started in the 1950s
Speciality: Prawn Mee in soup and dry variations, which Ruifang starts preparation for from 3am
Address: Tekka Food Centre, 665 Buffalo Road, #01-326, Singapore 210665
9. L32 Geylang Handmade Noodles
Image Credit: johorkaki.blogspot.com
Owner(s): Ben and Shirley, a couple in their 30s who took over the stall over 10 years ago from the previous owner, fuelled by Shirley’s love for the noodle dish
Speciality: Ban Mian with an emphasis on the pork used and ikan bilis for the soup base (cooked over 10 hours) and garnish
Address: 558 Geylang Lorong 32, Singapore 389509
10. Xiao Di Fried Hokkien Mee
Image Credit: ieatishootipost.sg
Owner(s): Terence Chee, 26, who had over 8 years of experience working at different stalls before venturing out on his own
Speciality: Fried Hokkien Mee. He uses prawns from Thailand, ensures the soup stock is cooked for a minimum of 3 hours and chooses to fry only 6 servings per wok
Address: Blk 153, Serangoon North Ave 1, Singapore 550153
11. Heaven’s Indian Curry
Image Credit: ieatishootopost.sg
Owner(s): Suren and Jesse, a couple who quit their comfortable jobs (Suren worked in a bar, Jesse worked in a bank) to start a branch of Suren’s mother’s famous Heaven’s Indian Curry
Speciality: Freshly-made Putu Mayam and Princess Appam, which is a twist on the traditional Appam. It is topped with egg, cheese and butter
Address: The franchise currently has 4 outlets in Ghim Moh Food Centre, Jurong Point, NUH and Changi Airport
12. Penang Kia Prawn Mee
Image Credit: allaboutceil.com
Owner(s): Julyn Teoh, 33 and her boyfriend Gerald Goh, 37, who used to be Singapore Airlines flight attendants. Julyn learnt her skills from her father who used to sell prawn noodles in Penang
Speciality: Penang-style prawn noodles, which soup stock took the couple over 3 months to perfect
Address: Blk 205d, Compassvale Lane #01-02, Singapore 544207
New Hope For Singapore’s Hawker Culture
These young people have followed their passion and chosen the path less travelled by their peers in a bid to preserve the recipes crafted by generations past.
Keith Low, 25, who opened year-old Lad & Dad with his father hawking British comfort food at Serangoon Garden Market, affirmed how convictions have changed. “The younger generation are starting to realise that what their parents used to preach — study hard, get a good job, get married, buy a house — were not the key to a fulfilling life,” said Low, who ventured into the hawker business straight after graduating from university in the United Kingdom last year.
“Apart from my passion for the hawker scene, which my dad shares, I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I had plans to introduce Singaporeans to various British dishes and I believed that a hawker centre was the best way to do that.
“I also wanted to break the stereotype that hawkers are uneducated, uncouth and that it’s an unglamorous job.”
Low also feels that Singaporeans are more open to new ideas and challenges. “Usually when someone is not satisfied with a job, they tend to look for other safe opportunities (such as) a similar job at another organisation,” he explained.
“However, these people are now willing to take a leap from the comfort zones of their office jobs to a hawker centre, as they notice an increasing number of people (also) willing to do so.”
