Tastemakers: Ajumma's founder gave up university and concert pianist dream to start restaurant
SINGAPORE – Mr Dominic Tan, 33, once dreamt of becoming a concert pianist. These days, the co-founder and chief executive of fast-casual Korean chain Ajumma's composes dishes instead of music, to the tune of $15 million in annual revenue.
At just four years old, he began studying music. Sharing a birthday with classical great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart cemented the notion that he was made for a life of music. He used to hog the only piano at Rosyth Primary School, practising for hours.
'I loved it. I had the aptitude for it,' he says. 'I wanted to learn music composition to express myself, to create something from nothing.'
His father, a senior manager at a real estate company, and his mother, a human resource executive, envisaged a different career path for him. They nudged him towards business, law or medicine.
At National Junior College, he took A-level music, alongside chemistry, mathematics and geography. He aced everything but chemistry and Chinese, for which he obtained Bs. He set his sights on auditioning for a conservatory in Europe, but an old injury struck a jarring note.
At 14, during a gymnastics session, he vaulted and landed badly. What was misdiagnosed as a sprain turned out years later to be a fractured lumbar spine.
He endured the sharp pain until after his A levels and underwent surgery in January 2011.
It was an excruciating road to recovery for the sports enthusiast who used to run at least twice a week. Doctors told him to refrain from sports for a year to allow his spine to heal.
He used that downtime to obtain a diploma in music performance awarded by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in Britain , taking the examination as a private candidate in Singapore.
During national service, he was a keyboardist with the Music & Drama Company – his dream NS vocation. But what changed his life were not the performances. It was a friendship he struck up with a fellow full-time NSman as they were both focused on their future.
They spent their free time discussing how they could achieve financial independence and security as soon as possible.
On weekends, the pair would meet at a now-defunct Korean food stall in the basement of Clarke Quay Central, eating $4 plates of bulgogi. A rare splurge was Korean BBQ, which could cost up to $80 for a meal for two at a restaurant.
'We realised that lower-priced Korean food often lacked quality and taste, but Korean restaurant fare was too expensive to dine on regularly,' says Mr Tan.
They saw a gap in the market. What if they could offer affordable Korean food with better quality?
A newfound appetite for financial literacy also reshaped Mr Tan's world view and ambition. Books by American investors Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger opened his mind to the world of business and wealth-building. Their writings spurred his desire to own a business.
After completing NS in 2012, Mr Tan and his friend met almost daily for a year, testing recipes. YouTube, cookbooks and feedback from Mr Tan's distant relative – a South Korean chef who is a cousin of his aunt's husband – were their teachers. The chef tasted their bulgogi and shared tips on improving the marinade with specific condiments.
By then, Mr Tan had given up thoughts of applying to university or a conservatory.
He says: 'I knew I wanted to start a business and I didn't want to study. If I got a degree, I would get pulled into a job and forget my entrepreneurial dreams.'
Though initially displeased, his parents eventually came around and lent him money to open his first outlet.
'They know that once I set my mind to do something, I will do it. Nothing can sway me,' he says.
With $80,000 scraped together from parental loans and savings, Mr Tan and his friend opened the first Ajumma's, a 26-seat eatery tucked away in the basement of The Cathay, in August 2014.
Situated beside a toilet and flanked by larger shops, the location was risky. The menu was tight – fewer than 10 items, including their Signature Beef Kalbi ($11.90 then, now $16.90++) and Chicken Bulgogi ($7.90 then, now $11.90++).
The Signature Beef Kalbi at fast-casual Korean chain Ajumma's uses USDA prime boneless short ribs.
PHOTO: AJUMMA'S
'We couldn't afford marketing. We relied entirely on word of mouth,' says Mr Tan. The first day's takings of $490 could not cover operating costs.
'We worked seven days a week, with no salary, eating our own food daily,' he says. Even then, they chose the cheapest items, allowing themselves beef only on special occasions.
Mr Tan's greatest luxury was buying business books to read after closing at midnight.
One month after opening, personal tragedy struck. His grandmother, a pivotal figure in his life, died in September 2014. Mr Tan had been close to her, often chatting with her daily before work.
'I would be marinating meat and I'd just start crying,' he says.
The loss was devastating, but he soldiered on. In 2015, a year after opening, his business partner decided to leave. Despite sharing similar business philosophies, they clashed over growth strategies. Mr Tan bought out his friend's shares for a low six-figure sum – based on projected earnings – and took full control. It was a financial and emotional blow.
'Operationally, it was tough. I had to do even more work on 16-hour days. I probably aged a little during that time,' he says.
Still, he pressed on. The eatery broke even after 18 months. A second Ajumma's outlet opened at Funan mall in 2019. Today, the chain has expanded to five suburban outlets. A $200,000 central kitchen is set to launch in May .
In 2024, he expanded beyond fast-casual dining with Odem, a craft makgeoli bar and modern Korean restaurant at New Bahru.
Odem, a craft makgeoli bar and modern Korean restaurant, was born out of Mr Tan's interest in craft makgeoli.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
Though he likens cooking to music composition – assembling ingredients instead of notes – he entrusted Odem's menu to 27-year-old South Korean head chef Yumi Bae, who developed it over a year, alongside Malaysia-born sous chef Jayden Ho, 28, who is a permanent resident here.
Dishes such as Coal-grilled Aji with Gamtae Beurre Blanc ($68++) and housemade Brioche with Gamtae Seaweed Butter ($20++) hit the right notes – rich in flavour and precise in execution.
Coal-grilled Aji with Gamtae Beurre Blanc and Brioche with Gamtae Seaweed Butter at Odem.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
Odem's makgeoli, soju and beer selection – over 40 varieties – is a passion project born from Mr Tan's twice yearly trips to South Korea, where he discovered craft makgeoli made by small breweries.
Now, he visits more breweries to curate artisanal, unpasteurised rice wines such as Hwacheon Ilchui, infused with 22 varieties of flowers ($82++ for a 500ml bottle) , and Danhong, a raspberry , hibiscus and beetroot brew ($88++ for a 500ml bottle) . He selects breweries that avoid preservatives, added sugar and artificial sweeteners and flavourings.
Danhong is a craft makgeoli made using raspberries, hibiscus and beetroot.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
To facilitate this, he set up Sool Cellar Asia Pacific with a warehouse in Alexandra in January 2024 to import and distribute craft Korean alcoholic beverages. Conceptualising Odem and securing cold-chain logistics took one year.
Hwacheon Ilchui is a craft makgeoli infused with 22 varieties of flowers.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
He hopes to take Odem to places like Hong Kong and Japan . For Ajumma's, he is eyeing five more outlets in Singapore, with regional expansion plans under way through joint ventures in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bangkok.
Mr Tan's goal is to hit $18 million in annual revenue by the end of the year. He employs close to 100 staff and is still hiring.
Despite the success, he remains grounded. He eschews investors to retain autonomy and makes it a point to lead by example.
'If we want someone to do something, we should be willing to do it ourselves,' he says.
His day starts at 8.30am with meditation and often ends after midnight. Sundays are reserved for badminton. The bachelor still dines at his own outlets, often ordering the beef kalbi – a dish he denied himself in the early days.
'Being able to order the dish whenever I want is an acknowledgement to myself that I have made it,' he says with a chuckle.
'I don't see work as work,' he adds. 'I'm living the life I chose.'
Mr Tan has never stopped composing – only now, his creations are measured in flavours .
'Not having a degree helped me in a good way. I didn't start out with a rigid mental framework of how a business should be,' he says. 'Reading biographies and business books by entrepreneurs taught me about business, relationships and life.'
Tastemakers is a personality profile series on food and beverage vendors who are creating a stir.
Hedy Khoo is senior correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers food-related news, from reviews to human interest stories.
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
35 minutes ago
- Business Times
Oil prices jumps 4% to 2-month high as tensions rise in Middle East
[NEW YORK] Oil prices rose more than 4 per cent on Wednesday, to their highest in more than two months, after sources said the US was preparing to evacuate its Iraqi embassy due to heightened security concerns in the Middle East. Brent crude futures settled US$2.90, or 4.34 per cent, higher to US$69.77 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude gained US$3.17, or 4.88 per cent, to US$68.15. Both Brent and WTI reached their highest since early April. Surprised traders bought crude futures on reports the US was preparing to evacuate its embassy in Iraq, Opec's No. 2 crude producer after Saudi Arabia. A US official said military dependents could also leave Bahrain. 'The market wasn't expecting this big geopolitical risk,' said Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group. Earlier, Iran's Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh said Tehran will strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks fail and conflict arises with Washington. Trump said he was less confident that Iran would agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Ongoing tension with Iran means its oil supplies are likely to remain curtailed by sanctions. Supplies will still increase, as Opec+ plans to boost oil production by 411,000 barrels per day in July as it looks to unwind production cuts for a fourth straight month. 'Greater oil demand within Opec+ economies – most notably Saudi Arabia – could offset additional supply from the group over the coming months and support oil prices,' said Capital Economics' analyst Hamad Hussain in a note. Also keeping prices elevated was news of a trade deal between the US and China, which could boost energy demand in the world's two biggest economies. Trump said Beijing would supply magnets and rare earth minerals and the US will allow Chinese students in its colleges and universities. Trump added the deal is subject to final approval by him and President Xi Jinping. The trade-related downside risk in oil has been temporarily removed, although the market reaction has been tepid as it is not clear how economic growth and global oil demand will be affected, PVM analyst Tamas Varga said. In the US, crude inventories fell by 3.6 million barrels to 432.4 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a draw of 2 million barrels. 'It's a bullish report,' said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho, adding that the demand for motor gasoline began to strengthen. Product supplied for motor petrol, a proxy for demand, rose by about 907,000 barrels per day last week, to 9.17 million bpd. US consumer prices increased only marginally in May, deepening the conviction in financial markets that the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates by September. Lower interest rates can spur economic growth and demand for oil. REUTERS
Business Times
35 minutes ago
- Business Times
Europe: Shares slip as markets unfazed by US-China deal
EUROPEAN shares saw their early gains evaporate, closing in the red on Wednesday, as the much-anticipated US-China trade talks offered scant details, despite promises of high-level agreements. The pan-European Stoxx 600 had risen following a cooler-than-expected US inflation report that eased tariff-related concerns and bolstered hopes for the Federal Reserve to cut rates. However, the index ultimately closed 0.27 per cent lower at 551.64 points- its third straight day of losses. Meanwhile, a day after officials from Washington and Beijing agreed on a framework to restore their trade truce, President Donald Trump said the US-China deal was done, with Beijing set to supply magnets and rare earth minerals. According to a White House official, the agreement with China allows the US to charge a 55 per cent tariff on imported Chinese goods, including a 10 per cent baseline 'reciprocal' tariff, a 20 per cent tariff for fentanyl trafficking and a 25 per cent tariff reflecting pre-existing tariffs. China will charge a 10 per cent tariff on US imports, the official said. Investors in Europe responded cautiously, while the talks ended in a truce, analysts said investors had hoped for more substantial progress. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up 'Markets had a lot of hopes that folks in London were going to see some major breakthrough and essentially all it's done is reiterate what they had a month ago,' Daniela Hathorn, senior market analyst at The benchmark index, however, was still 2 per cent shy of its February all-time high. Europe, once a prime beneficiary of the rotation out of US assets, now finds itself gripped by a pervasive caution due to Trump's mercurial tariff policies. The biggest catalysts for European markets are increased defence spending and the European Central Bank cutting borrowing costs. However, ECB officials have indicated that the easing cycle will come to an end. Traders are pricing in just one more rate cut by the tail-end of this year. 'Investors piled into European markets and have taken advantage of that cheap equity market, it's now a case of what else is going to continue to power this drive,' Hathorn added. On the markets side, the utilities sector, often traded as a bond-proxy, emerged as the day's top sectoral performer. Conversely, retailers led the decline, sinking 1.7 per cent due to a 4.4 per cent drop in Inditex after the Zara owner missed first-quarter sales forecasts. British homebuilders Bellway and Vistry saw their shares rise following finance minister Rachel Reeves' announcement of a £39 billion (S$67.5 billion) decade-long affordable housing programme that will nearly double annual spending on low-cost homes. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.1 per cent while mid-cap FTSE 250 rose 0.2 per cent. REUTERS

Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 12, 2025
US President Donald Trump said on June 11 that the deal with China 'is done' and that the relationship was 'excellent'. PHOTO: REUTERS While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 12, 2025 Deal 'is done', says Trump, on China and US trade truce China and the US agreed to revive a fragile trade truce after two days of talks in London, further defusing tensions between the two geopolitical rivals. US President Donald Trump said on June 11 that the deal with China 'is done' and that the relationship was 'excellent'. Hours earlier, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, who led the negotiating delegation in London, called on the US to 'stay true to your words' and 'demonstrate good faith in keeping promises'. The agreement, which concluded close to midnight on June 10 in London, followed a roller coaster of rising and easing tensions over non-tariff measures, after both sides agreed in May in Geneva to a 90-day truce that sharply lowered tariffs on each other's goods. READ MORE HERE Trump admin launches review of Biden-era Aukus pact President Donald Trump's administration has launched a formal review of a defence pact that former president Joe Biden made with Australia and the United Kingdom allowing Australia to acquire conventionally armed nuclear submarines, a US defence official told Reuters. The launch of the formal, Pentagon-led review is likely to alarm Australia, which sees the submarines as critical to its own defence as tensions grow over China's expansive military buildup. It could also throw a wrench in Britain's defence planning. The so-called Aukus pact is at the centre of a planned expansion of its submarine fleet. READ MORE HERE Serbia leader in Ukraine for first time since Russia invasion Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who maintains strong ties with Moscow, made his first visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022 on June 11 and said he supported the country's 'territorial integrity'. The Balkan nation with close historical links to Russia has maintained an official policy of neutrality throughout Moscow's three-year war in Ukraine and has denied arming either side. But in recent days, Russia accused Serbian arms companies of 'trying to stab Russia in the back' by selling munitions to Ukraine. READ MORE HERE Fulbright board resigns citing Trump interference All members of the board that oversees the US State Department's Fulbright Programme, which facilitates international educational exchanges, have voted to resign over alleged political interference from President Donald Trump's administration, the board said on June 11. The Trump administration had unlawfully 'usurped the authority' of the board by denying awards to a 'substantial number' of people who had already been selected for the 2025-2026 academic year through a yearlong, merit-based process, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board said, in a statement posted on the website Substack. The department is also putting another 1,200 Fulbright recipients through an 'unauthorised review process' that could lead to more rejections, according to the statement. READ MORE HERE Brian Wilson, founder of surf band The Beach Boys, dies at 82 Beach Boys cofounder Brian Wilson, who created some of rock's most enduring songs such as Good Vibrations and God Only Knows in a career that was marked by a decades-long battle between his musical genius, drug abuse and mental health issues, has died at the age of 82. Wilson's family announced his death in a statement on the singer's website. 'We are at a loss for words right now,' the statement said. 'We realise that we are sharing our grief with the world.' READ MORE HERE Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.