He was forced to quit school when he was 15 to help support his parents, who were farmers, but last week, all his hard work paid off when his hawker stall was awarded the much-conveted Michelin star.
Located in Chinatown, Singapore, Chan Hon Meng’s humble little Chan’s Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle stall became the first hawker stall in the world to be presented the prestigious culinary award.
It may not look like it – especially after his stunning accomplishment – but the 51-year-old, who hailed from Ipoh, came from very humble beginnings.
“I stopped going to school at the age of fifteen because of this environment. I had to help with the preparations of dishes from young,” Chan told Michelin Guide Singapore in an exclusive interview released on Monday.
And that was when Chan found his calling as a chef.
Chan told the Michelin Guide that he learned how to cook from a Hong Kong chef at a restaurant and 35 years down the line, his Hong Kong Soya Sauce Noodle is now his signature dish.
As fate would have it, this dish would go on to earn Chan his first Michelin stamp of approval.
“For us chefs, we long for the day we are recognised internationally. It is a form of honour as if we are in university and now we are graduating,” he was quoted as saying.
On July 26, Chan received an invite to the Michelin Guide Singapore Gala Dinner and he told the publication that he did not expect to get invited, let alone nominated.
“When I got the invite, I was uncertain. I asked them: ‘Are you joking? Why would Michelin come to my stall’?’,” he told Michelin Guide Singapore.
That night, Chan and another Singaporean hawker stall, Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle, won a Michelin star each.
His acceptance speech was simple; he hopes that the rest of the world would now take note of cheap eats, like his humble Hong Kong Soya Sauce Noodle.
“I really think it’s an honour, that I can represent every hawker in Singapore internationally and bring our cuisine to the world.”
You can watch Michelin Guide Singapore’s full interview with Chan below:
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