Perfect Pairings

What's it like to work in the restaurant business as a couple? Two Singaporean husband-and-wife teams share how they keep the flame alive in and out of the kitchen.

- Nida Seah

CHI PIN HAN AND JANICE CHI

ISHINOMAKI GRILL & SAKE, TABLE 33 AND KI TEPPAN & ROGAMA

It all began in 2013 in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, when Chi Pin Han and Janice Chi witnessed the lasting damage the tsunami had on the Japanese city. The survivors' remarkable resilience and a love for the region gave the couple the courage to set up their own business. At age 50, Chi left his group general manager position at a multi-brand food company and started Ishinomaki Grill & Sake a year later, offering authentic robatayaki and izakaya dishes. Fast forward to today, and the business has expanded to include sake bar Table 33; and their latest baby Ki Teppan & Rogama serving teppanyaki and rogama cuisine.

Chi heads the kitchen and sources for the most unique ingredients each season, particularly from suppliers in Japan. Janice herself is a certified sake sommelier and oversees the sake programme and training at Ishinomaki Grill & Sake. Married for nearly 28 years, they share what it is like when their working and personal lives are so deeply intertwined, and how it affects their business.

What were your professions before setting up your own business?

Chi: I've been at the helm of the restaurant business for over two decades, and my connection to the F&B sector and Japanese cuisine goes back even further, to my early years of training as a head chef in various Japanese restaurants such as Meguro Gajoen Tokyo, Pan Pacific Singapore's Keyaki Restaurant and InterContinental Singapore.

Janice: I was a homemaker before joining on board with Chi to set up our first restaurant, Ishinomaki Grill & Sake.

What are your roles at the restaurants?