SETTING SAIL TO COOK

From a 12-year career with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) to cooking lecturer and bona fide chef, Staff Sergeant (SSG) (NS) Benson Tong is one go-getter who believes in making things happen.

While most of his peers in primary school spent their free time playing with toy trains and bricks, a young SSG (NS) Benson Tong, who started cooking at eight years old, mulled over what to make for his family's dinner on a daily basis. As both his parents held full-time jobs, he was solely responsible for his siblings' meals.

However, this was no chore for SSG (NS) Tong who has fond memories of excursions to the wet market with his grandmother in the early mornings, haggling with vendors over food prices.

"It's fun because there are no restrictions to how you cook. Just like fried rice, you can put in any ingredient and fry. As long as it's edible, it's okay," the father of two-year-old daughter Le Xin and five-month-old son Jia Le said with a grin.

SSG (NS) Tong began his career with the RSN in 1998 after he completed his electronic engineering diploma on a Navy study scheme. After a year on board Mine Countermeasure Vessel RSS Kallang, he was selected for submarine training and then posted to Sweden for training.

A "wishing tree" for food

Remembering his three-year stint in Sweden as a time when he matured a lot, the 36-year-old recounted: "It was a totally different experience... I was far away from my parents and relatives, there was nobody; it was just my wife and me and some friends. So we had to learn to take care of each other and be independent. This built up our character. We did a lot of cooking as well!"

This polished his culinary skills and SSG (NS) Tong soon became his friends' "wishing tree" for Singapore food. From prawn noodles and mee rebus to fancier fare like braised duck and chilli crab, SSG (NS) Tong was the man to go to for a taste of home.

On one occasion, he even stood in to cook for about 40 members of the ship's crew as the Swedish chef on board had taken ill. The Swedes enjoyed his cooking so much they asked him to consider being the chef instead.

All these memorable experiences bolstered his courage as he considered setting up his own food and beverage business in 2006, after postings on board the Challenger-class submarine RSS Chieftain and at the submarine simulator department.

Never give up

"It was a difficult decision because the lady at home wanted a stable income. But I wanted to try something really different, which could make our lives either better or worse, so it was tough, like a tug-of-war," he said.

SSG (NS) Tong pressed on with his dream of cooking for a living. He started out with a small hawker stall five years ago and expanded his business gradually to a coffee shop and a cafe.

But SSG (NS) Tong was quick to point out that his entrepreneurial journey was an arduous one. In his first year, he had almost zero income as he was focusing on strengthening his culinary skills. When he opened his hawker stall selling roast duck, he worked 16-hour days, chopping through countless roast ducks from morning to evening.

When he moved to the coffee shop, the business took some time to take off because of the shop's obscure location in Geylang. At one point, he was earning only $24 a day. "The Navy is tough but there's a clear path and there are people to guide you. In business, there is no recipe," he said. But business improved eventually, and he was soon raking in close to $300 in profit daily.

SSG (NS) Tong's culinary skills and food have been featured in local newspapers and positively reviewed by food critic K.F. Seetoh. To his fans, he is also "Mr Simple", as he used to share cooking tips and recipes on local radio station UFM 100.3. Today, he teaches Chinese culinary cooking at a private school, doubles up as a private chef for hire on weekends and contributes easy-to-follow but delectable food recipes to Gourmet Living magazine.

On what sustained him through the difficult times, he said: "Never give up. Just like in the Navy, we never give up. When there are defects (in the ship's systems), we will do our best to solve the issue until we are sure that there is nothing more we can do. What I can do, I will do it because... I want to be the one that makes things happen."

SSG (NS) Tong's next goal is the prestigious International Chinese Culinary Competition in 2013 and to reach his goal, he joined Onaka restaurant as a sous chef.

Second-in-command in the kitchen and assistant to the head chef who is trained in French culinary arts, SSG (NS) Tong hopes this stint will help take his skills to another level. For this spirited dream-chaser, it is only a matter of time.