Introduce Singapore Style Sambals To The US

Portland-based entrepreneurs Holly Ong and Pat Lau whip up flavours from home that are sibei ho chiak!

- Michele Koh Morollo

Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest is one of North America's top foodie destinations and is known for its high quality and varied agricultural products. It has more than 35,000 farms, of which over 90 per cent are family-owned and produce more than 200 food commodities. Many ingredients, such as onions, Dungeness crab and hazelnuts, are used in the culinary creations of Singaporean entrepreneurs Holly Ong and Pat Lau who founded their F&B enterprise Sibeiho, meaning “very good” in Hokkien, in Portland in 2018.

The two met as colleagues in 2006 at Nike’s Singapore office before being assigned to Nike Shanghai, and then to its Portland headquarters. During their time as expats, they would host dinners where they cooked elaborate Singaporean meals for their friends and colleagues.

“In most of the places where we travel to for work, we couldn’t find good Singaporean food. Singapore food is very nuanced, and non-Singaporeans are often unsure about the difference between our cuisine and others from South-east Asia, so we wanted to share the dishes we love with our friends,” Ong says.

The idea to turn their hobby into a business came as they drove along the gorgeous Oregon coast and sampled freshly caught Dungeness crabs. Lau says, “We looked at the crabs and thought, ‘why not make chilli crab for people who have never tried it?’ We felt chilli crab would allow us to introduce Singapore to people in Portland by marrying a well-loved local ingredient with our flavours.”

Sibeiho Supperclub, a private catering business, was born from this idea. Ong and Lau host dinners at their homes every month, where guests tuck into chilli crab and more.