Latest news with #HawkersUnited
Online Citizen
3 days ago
- Business
- Online Citizen
Tan Bee Hua, owner of Tan's Tutu Coconut Cake, dies at 63, leaving hawker legacy behind
Tan Bee Hua (陈美烨), owner of the well-known Tan's Tutu Coconut Cake stall, has died at the age of 63. The store announced her passing on its social media pages on the morning of 29 July, 2025. In its tribute, Tan's Tutu Coconut Cake shared that she 'always loved her job and took pride in perfecting her tutu kuehs to contribute to Singapore's rich food heritage'. The post added that she 'will always live in our memories'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tan's Tu Tu (@tanstutu) Tan's Tutu Coconut Cake has been operating from Havelock Food Centre. Its Clementi outlet closed in 2023, but the brand remains cherished by many for preserving the traditional handmade tutu kueh, a steamed rice flour snack with coconut or peanut filling. In the Facebook group Hawkers United, Melvin Chew, owner of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck And Kway Chap, called Tan a 'legend'. Chew wrote that her passion for making tutu kueh was 'a great contribution to our hawker culture' and that her passing is a 'big loss to our hawker culture'. Known affectionately by many as Auntie Tan, she spent decades upholding her family's craft. According to an interview with Lianhe Zaobao in 2021, Tan explained how she made the life-changing decision to protect her father's legacy. Tan Bee Hua's father, Tan Eng Huat (陈永发), started making tutu kueh in the 1930s, founding what would become nearly nine decades of the Chen family's tutu kueh tradition. He passed the trade to Tan Bee Hua's brother, who continued the craft and built the Tan family name into one of Singapore's most recognisable for tutu kueh. Following her brother's death in 2004, Tan Bee Hua stepped away from her 25-year career as an assistant accounts manager to take over the stall full time. She shared with Zaobao that she had been deeply moved by her brother's trust in her to keep the family tradition alive. 'My brother fell ill, and I began thinking about taking over. If no one took over, my father's creation would be lost,' she said. Tan's mother was initially against the idea, preferring that her daughter keep her stable job with good benefits. Despite this, Tan was determined to preserve her father's craft for future generations. She often recalled one phrase from her late brother that guided her through the tough times: 'Do the tutu kueh to the best it can be.' Regular customers praised Tan's unwavering dedication to maintaining the authentic taste and handmade method of tutu kueh, which is becoming increasingly rare in Singapore's modern hawker scene. Many shared memories of watching her expertly steam the delicate cakes to order. Her death has prompted an outpouring of tributes online from loyal patrons and fellow hawkers, who said her passing marks the loss of a significant figure in Singapore's hawker heritage.
AsiaOne
24-07-2025
- General
- AsiaOne
Ghim Moh hawker responds to 'unfair' one-star rating over tray incident, calls reviewer 'petty', Singapore News
A hawker has voiced her frustration after her stall received a one-star rating from a patron for refusing to help him remove trays at a hawker centre. In a post uploaded by Facebook user Jesline Chua on the Hawkers United Facebook page, she explained that the poor review — posted on Google Reviews — was given because she declined to assist in clearing trays from a table. She runs a prawn noodle stall at Ghim Moh Road Market and Food Centre. The review, posted by a user named Gary Tang, stated that he needed an entire table for his family but was hindered by a large stack of trays. He claimed in on online post that when he approached Chua for assistance, he claimed she appeared unfriendly and told him they would have to move the trays himself, as they were not left by her stall. Tang also commented that the stall staff had a "strange" and "lousy attitude". In response, Chua clarified that the trays had been stacked by the cleaners and not by her stall and emphasised that she did not prevent the customer from moving the trays himself. "It's so unfair to us, and you're not even patronising (my stall)," said Chua, adding that the customer had approached someone like her—of a smaller build—to move a heavy load of trays. She also responded by saying that someone of his status should not be so "petty as to try and tarnish another person's business". "It's already so difficult for us hawkers who are trying our best to run an honest business, and yet we have to deal with people like this," she added. Netizens weighed in on the incident, with some calling out the customer for being self-entitled, while others expressed appreciation for the hard work of local hawkers. One user also commented that Google Reviews shouldn't be used to judge an eatery, and that people should try the food themselves to form their own opinion. AsiaOne has reached out to Chua for comment. [[nid:679403]]
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chinatown braised duck hawker almost scammed with mass advance order, warns other stall owners
Over the years, we've come across news about scams involving F&B establishments — restaurants receiving fake PayNow screenshots, a kopitiam stall owner scammed out of S$27,000 by a 'customer' who never showed up, amongst others. Just a few days ago, Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap owner, Melvin Chew nearly fell victim to a scam when a caller from an unknown number tried to trick him into preparing 10 packets of duck rice with extra ingredients. While I understand that some scams benefit the perpetrator, who can get away with free food, I'm still trying to figure out the true motive behind this incident. Sabotage? A personal vendetta? Pure mischief? Anyone has any idea? Mr Chew shared that when he initially picked up the call and said hello, the guy was silent for at least 5 seconds. That long pause made him suspicious. 'My mind was telling me that the person might have a name list with him and had probably lost track of which number he had dialled.' Mr Chew said. He stated that since the person had failed to make any advance payment for the order, he insisted that he arrive at his stall at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre before he'd proceed with preparing his food. The guy declined, and told Mr Chew to prepare his food first as he was rushing for time. He then ended the phone call. Mr Chew added, 'He didn't ask me what the total cost was. When I asked him what ingredients he wanted to top-up, he told me to make the decision for him.' He then received several calls from the same number but didn't pick up. Subsequently, Mr Chew returned the call but there wasn't any response. At this point, Mr Chew was confident that he was being scammed. He proceeded to upload a screenshot of his call history on his Hawkers United – Dabao 2020 Facebook group. He warned other hawkers to be more vigilant towards advance ordering and urged them to accept payment before proceeding. Since the post had clearly stated the mobile number: +65 8946 1932, Mr Chew then received messages from his Facebook group members that this particular handphone number had been reported by several others as well. Having nearly fallen for a scam myself, I sincerely hope the authorities will take action—steadily but surely—against these perpetrators. A round-up of 2024's best hawker food spots found in Singapore The post Chinatown braised duck hawker almost scammed with mass advance order, warns other stall owners appeared first on
