Two of a Kind

With a lot of things riding on the line, these determined chefs left the calm confines of an office for a hectic and frantic kitchen stocked with daily stress, grease and uncertainty. And they couldn’t be any happier

-  Angelo Comsti

At first glance, cake expert Penk Ching and chef LG Han from Singapore may have nothing in common except for being on top of their own game. The former remains to be the household name when it comes to elaborate celebration cakes, having produced edible masterpieces for many high-profile weddings here and abroad as well as milestone events like the 2008 Olympics held in China. The latter is the 36-year-old chef of restaurant Labyrinth, the lauded ambassador when it comes to contemporary Singaporean cuisine and sustainability, having been recognised by the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants group for his commitment to championing local produce and communities.

Dig deeper and you will discover that the semblance doesn’t end there. In fact, their careers couldn’t have taken any more similar paths. Both were bankers by trade. Ching graduated with a business course, two master’s degrees and DPhil units under her belt, while Han finished with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance in London.

Both also enjoyed cooking as a hobby. Hers started in high school when she would spend longer hours in the home economics lab compared to her classmates because she wanted to learn the basics of baking. “I just love to eat sweets, simple as that,” she says. Since there were no culinary schools available back then, she thought of taking up fine arts in college to hone her creative expressions. But that didn’t pan out in the end. “I wanted to go to art school, but my father told me that if I wanted to be rich, I should take a business course for in art, I will only be earning if I die,” she cheekily says.