KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 — Bruce Wong, who runs a food business from his home, was no stranger to the food and beverage industry. 

He used to be one of the owners of local pub chain Tom, Dick and Harry and its sister restaurant Ali, Muthu and Ah Hock.

But he was not the guy in the kitchen. It just wasn’t his domain. 

Until Covid-19 struck. 

That was when he lost his job as the country manager of a co-working space in Thailand due to the pandemic. At the same time, the father of two became a father of three.

“My wife was pregnant and it was a bad time to go out and look for a job. I could only cook one dish at that time something I learned in Bangkok which was Pad Kra Paw, a Thai basil-based pork dish,” Wong explained.

His wife Liu Wen Hsuan had just given birth to their third son Brennan, and Malaysia was under the movement control order (MCO) which made hiring a nanny or getting help difficult.

And so Wong had to step up and find something he could do to earn money while also caring for his wife and three sons at home. 
He taught himself to cook through YouTube; he would replicate recipes he saw online and tweak them until they suited his taste.

“It’s all maths you know. Basically, whatever you put into the meal, you must make sure you lock down the amount,” he said, relating his approach to cooking.