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Hawker culture is being threatened by a lack of successors, but one man and his siblings are determined to take their zi char business further
His family may own one of Singapore’s most well-known zi char restaurants, but for Wayne Liew, making head chef was no walk in the park. In fact, life as a trainee at Keng Eng Kee Seafood (also known as KEK) was in many ways more difficult for Liew than it would have been for someone not from the family.
Instead of being whisked to the top of the hierarchy like a K-drama prince, Liew’s first introduction to the kitchen was as a teenage kitchen assistant whose main job was to manage and move heavy stocks and supplies. Not only was the labour strenuous, Liew found himself heavily scrutinised by the people around him. “Many did not expect me to last, because they thought that I would not be able to take the hardship,” he says. But through dedication and determination, he proved he was the right successor Keng Eng Kee needed.
“My motivation was to prove to the people who had expected me to fail that I could do it. In order to pursue my passion of learning the craft, I worked harder than anyone else in the kitchen by reporting to work the earliest and being the last to leave,” he recalls. “I guess my perseverance moved some of the senior chefs, because they slowly opened up to me by sharing their culinary knowledge.”
And although his father was then-head chef of Keng Eng Kee, Liew realised early on that he was not going to be handed anything on a platter. Rather than personally teach the zestful young man, the elder Liew chose to have his son be mentored by the other chefs and cooks in the kitchen. “I didn’t understand the rationale initially, but then I realised (he did it) so I could learn from everyone across the kitchen hierarchy. This way, I would learn more than I would’ve if I had been taught solely by him,” he says.
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Onwards and upwards
Together with his elder brother, Paul, and his younger sister, Jiamin, the 39-year-old has helped take the third-generation zi char business to unexpected heights and places. With the siblings at the helm, the brand has come to amass several accolades, including Michelin Guide Singapore’s The Plate distinction for seven years in a row. A favourite spot for the late Anthony Bourdain while he was alive, Keng Eng Kee also counts some of the world’s greatest chefs among its fans, including Éric Ripert, Simon Davis, Karime Lopez, and José Andrés.
Started 53 years ago as a small stir-fry hawker stall in the Havelock neighbourhood, Keng Eng Kee is now well-loved for dishes like chilli crab, coffee pork ribs, mingzhu rolls and moonlight hor fun. According to Liew, fans can expect a string of new developments in the coming months, including a third outlet opening in an undisclosed location, more overseas collaborations and even pop-ups planned for Mumbai and Bangkok.
“The demand for zi char has been increasing, not just from a younger generation of Singaporeans, but also tourists, thanks to exposure of the cuisine on social media," says Liew. Needless to say, Liew is excited to help grow the business that his migrant grandparents started decades before he was even born. “My grandparents started Keng Eng Kee with the intention of providing for the family. This has not changed in 2023. The difference is that the Keng Eng Kee family has grown much larger now,” he says. Crediting the brand’s current success to its cooperative and loyal team, Liew says he is motivated to grow the business further, so that his teammates can have better career prospects and livelihoods.
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