Susan

Susan on the Hot Seat

1. What inspired you to become a chef?

There was a restaurant in my neighborhood that was always filled with people. Plenty of local celebrities and famous personalities used to visit for meals. I'd always see them adorning the chefs and you'd often be confused as to who's the celebrity here. Seeing how everyone adored the chefs here was my earliest inspiration for becoming a chef.

2. What is your signature dish? What do people love about it?

The ol' classic Fried Chicken. I never dreamt of this becoming my signature dish until I met a little boy during a family visit to Cambridge. That very day, our local store had run out of chicken, and it was this little boy's birthday too. He was pining for some fried chicken and I'd, fortunately, picked up some the previous day. The way his face lit up as he grabbed the first bite is something I'll forever cherish.

3. How do you describe your overall cooking philosophy?

Will it make everyone's tastebuds tingle? That's the question I ask myself each time I prepare anything. It's something I've lived by because we're cooking and preparing dishes for people to love, cherish and savor. If they don't love it then I'm not doing all the ingredients justice. 

4. If not a chef, what would you be doing today?

Oh lord! I can't possibly fathom what else I'd be doing if not dressed in my chef attire and manning the Fryer. But I do love singing and I've often been told have a nice voice. Maybe I'd start off busking to fund my travel dreams and hopefully get picked up by a recording label and make it big.

5. They say you've never burnt a dish. Is it true?

If you ask me, I'll tell you I've never. But if you ask my Mum, that's opening a can of worms. But I've never professionally burnt a dish and that's a feat I'm really proud of because you know how busy it gets in the kitchen, especially during rush hours and keeping a tab of every dish and every order becomes a mammoth task.