Cooking With Passion

A standalone in the sea of prawn noodles, lor mee and fish soup stalls, Wonderfull Nasi Lemak is Old Airport Road Food Centre’s latest arrival. We speak to Lois Er and find out what it’s really like setting up shop in the hawker scene.

Amid the crowded tables and long queues at the Old Airport Road Food Centre, Lois can be found cheerfully serving hungry patrons delicious plates of Wonderfull Nasi Lemak, not a smile out of place despite having started work before the crack of dawn. The 26-year-old is amongst the new stampede of young, driven entrepreneurs – or hawkerpreneurs – who are set on reviving the local hawker scene.

Ditching a cushy office gig to work the stove in the sweltering heat probably isn’t the most glamourous career option, but we couldn’t be more proud of her for daring to take that unconventional leap of faith. Sitting down with the young hawker, Lois shares her experiences, challenges and lessons learned while navigating the local F&B scene.

What spurred your decision to go into the hawker business?

“My family has always enjoyed food, and my dad likes to cook – one of his dreams was to have his own F&B business. The opportunity came last year when I left my previous job and there happened to be an opening at the hawker centre near our house, so we decided to try bidding for it.”

How was it like in the beginning?

“[Unlike other hawkers], our recipe wasn’t passed down to us. But we started using recipes online, from watching TV and even through trying out other nasi lemak. It was really a step-by-step process that involved a lot of experimentation. We learned about temperature, how different brands of coconut milk, salt or rice will affect the taste… We’ve only just finalised our chilli recipe. We’re always looking to improve.”

What were some misconceptions you had?