SOULFUL SOUP MAKER

Corporal (CPL) (NS) Wu Guo Hong gives up a job that sends him all over the world to rub shoulders with top government officials, all to pursue a passion for soup.

Suits. Planes. Meetings. Those were the things that filled his days back when CPL (NS) Wu was an international relations associate at the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

That was his first job after graduating from Nanyang Technological University with an economics degree in 2011. But since April last year, CPL (NS) Wu has been toiling in his hawker stall in CFC 1080 canteen at Lower Delta Road. For more than nine hours a day, he makes bowl after bowl of double-boiled soups and braised meat.

His decision to become a hawker stemmed from two reasons: to pursue his passion in cooking and to keep his family recipes alive.

"I have always been interested in cooking and I've enjoyed my parents' cooking since young. I felt that if I didn't get to learn and pass down their recipes, it would be a waste," said the 27-year-old.

Own best ideas

His mother runs a hawker stall in Boon Lay selling economical rice and pork ribs soups, while his father, a retired hawker, helps out at the stall occasionally. CPL (NS) Wu had initially wanted to take over his mum's stall when she retires, but decided not to take the easy route.

"Like many young people of my generation, I have my own ideas. I want to strike out on my own and create something that I can call my own," he explained.

His mother, however, was against him becoming a hawker at first. Said CPL (NS) Wu: "My mum has been a hawker for 40 years, she's been there and done it all, and knows all the hardships of operating a hawker business. She felt that since I had studied a lot, I should be doing a white-collar, 9-to-5 job that is more stable and less strenuous."

But CPL (NS) Wu knew what he was getting himself into. "I started helping my mum since I was eight years old, so I've grown to enjoy it a lot." Like an apprentice, he started from the bottom and experienced all the hardships of being a hawker - clearing the dishes, collecting payment and taking orders - before he progressed to cooking.

Bestselling business

Unlike his mother who sells a variety of dishes, CPL (NS) Wu sells only two - double-boiled soups and braised meat.

Explaining his business concept, he said: "I took the bestsellers from my mum s stall and repackaged and rebranded them into a set lunch concept. Customers usually ask for these dishes at my mum's stall, so I wanted to ensure that people will continue to be able to enjoy them."

When asked if he was worried about the competition - double-boiled soups are sold in many hawker centres and coffee shops in Singapore - he said: "The soup recipes have been refined over decades by my parents, and the braised meat is based on a secret recipe created by my family. I am quite sure you will not be able to find anything similar elsewhere."

Learning from the best

While his business has been profitable, CPL (NS) Wu, who sank $10,000 of his savings into his hawker venture, now earns less than half of his previous salary. Like many budding entrepreneurs out there, he too faces the fear of failure.

However, he said: "Not every business will be successful, but if we are always held back by this fear, then we will never go and try. Why not give it a shot while I am still young?"

On his NS experience, CPL (NS) Wu, who served as the administrative assistant for the Head of Intelligence at Headquarters Armour, said he had learnt much from observing his senior officers lead their men in running large-scale exercises.

"NS showed me glimpses of what it would be like to work in the real world, and the exposure taught me how to work with and manage people. It was useful during my days in MOF, and I believe it will come in handy when I expand my business in the future."

His ultimate dream is to grow his stall Tian Tian Xiang (named after his mum's stall) into a famous chain, just like the Astons Western food chain.

"When you mention Astons, you think of Western food, I hope that eventually my business will grow in such a way that when you mention Tian Tian Xiang, people will think of soups and braised meat," he said.