Master Chef to Export Malaysian Cultural Blend of Foods, Featured in Food & Hotel Asia
With deep expertise centred on Asian culinary understanding, Bernard Lee, a Master Chef, kickstarts his day with a managing effort to export health-conscious, highly appetising Malaysian cultural foods to the United Kingdom.
His surrounding and immediate clientele finds a change of pace; inspired to introduce as well as to make all things beneficial for diners – considering the platters being formerly made with runon-the-mill processed ingredients that are now replaced with hearty sustenance.
“I am only familiar with cooking cuisines that are nourishing,” Mr Lee, who made the kitchen his station and preparing foods a lifelong passion, said in an interview where he started as a chef some three decades ago. “As opportunity arises, I sought and fuelled the fire of entrepreneurship in reaching a wider audience just so people could experience Southeast Asian eatables with the help of manufacturing technology.”
He’s doing tremendous good, and only recently a successful recovery yet still have room for improvement, said a close friend of Mr Lee, who prefers to be called ‘T.E’ in pseudonym, where he’s seen the highs and lows of KI.TA (the brainchild of Chef B Sdn Bhd) in the journey into the tumultuous COVID-19 chapter. Mr Lee has recently transitioned into the focus of wonton noodles (or wantan mee by Eastern pronunciation) where revenue growth was seen stabilising and increasing, and an indication that he remains splendid at work.
Unprecedented Crisis
Amounting to 30,000 Malaysian enterprises and higher were forced into closure out of the sudden afflicting period, and those traditional brick-and-mortar stores that have been lagging in terms of digital usage have inevitably failed in keeping up against the dire change.
“The F&B sector has been particularly hit, and I dare claim a tremendous loss at that,” said Mr Lee. Dine-ins were primarily the focus of sales when it comes to restaurants and eat-outs, yet little did the edge at which was aimed became the eventual bane during the movement restriction disaster.
The Master Chef inevitably closed 3 out of 4 of his restaurants to survive and faced the biggest challenge in his career thus far. Pain, stress, and tears appeared, yet the tiring struggle continues in figuring out what would be the next step to venture forth – having KI.TA as his last focus.
Inspiration
Sitting at the living room while watching television were breaking news one fine afternoon that breathed Mr. Lee an inspiration. The ideation to sell foods with a long shelf-life came to be, after observing the chaotic patterns of panic buy because of the pandemic. Food cupboards were emptied as the report revealed a scene that products people were rushing to obtain was centred to instant foods, which he correspondingly decided in a new merchandise that could meet the demands of the populace then. The first recipe for wonton noodles was created successfully by Master Chef Bernard Lee in less than 24 hours, under the narrative of healthier lifestyle as intended always.
Halal-based, completely natural and air dried, Mr Lee decides to join Food & Hotel Asia (FHA) to showcase his creation. The largest culinary international exhibition in Asia will be held on September 5, 2022 and lasts up to four days, taking place at the heart of Singapore where visitations arrived from around the globe. “It’s a great chance to introduce the delectable flavours of Malaysian cuisine,” said Mr. Lee, through KI.TA’s newest packaged goods as he intends to ship the products to the United Kingdom primarily as well as worldwide in potential.
Currently, Chef B Sdn Bhd has opted to export their permissible-based Asian products with the aid of DagangHalal, breaching to different cultures as well as expanding the global Halal market. The latter firm was reached out and collaborated with because of the reputation in being the largest B2B e-marketplace for permissible goods, as well as their veteran familiarity in marketentry that makes them the best partner to choose.
