By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Feb 4: While most people start their day when they wake up in the morning, Jeff Heng starts his day at midnight at his frying station in a café.
Hailing from Selangor, the 38-year-old father of three, who is married to a Sarawakian, starts his day early to make assorted traditional Chinese snacks to cater to his customers who have pre-ordered the delicacies and pick them up early in the morning.
“I usually make traditional fried ‘yu char kway’, horseshoe fritter, ‘ham chim peng’ (deep fried hollow doughnuts), and Chinese fried dough buns stuffed with red beans for them to sell,” he said during an interview with DayakDaily.
Heng, who is happy to bring a taste of West Malaysia to Sarawak, said among his customers’ favourites is the horseshoe fritter, which is not commonly found.
“Even my walk-in (customers) tell me my ‘char kway’ emits an aroma which reminds them of what a traditional fried bun smell should taste.
“I am flattered by their comments. I hope to be consistent and improve my food,” he said.
Heng said he learned the tools of the trade from his mother and later inherited his culinary skills from his late grandfather.
“I am a third-generation ‘yu char kway’ man in the family, and before that, I was in the film-making industry in West Malaysia,” he said.
Heng said when he followed his wife to Sarawak, he ventured into the food business and started his ‘yu char kway’ station at a cafe in Kenyalang Park Commercial Centre in 2014.
“I had it for about five years before I stopped for a while to help my father, who had health issues. After he recovered, I returned and started the ball rolling again,” he said.
Heng, who loves Sarawak, is assisted by his father-in-law Collin Tan, who helps him serve his customers while busy at the frying station.
“I hope that my traditional ‘yu char kway’ will continue to be liked by my customers and get their support. I hoped that my business would flourish too,” he said.
Heng’s stall is located at Best Corner Café in 4th Mile. It is open daily from 6am until midday.
For inquiries, call 010- 961 6636. — DayakDaily
