From flying to frying: Former SIA cabin crew member quits job to start new venture as street vendor in Woodlands, Lifestyle News

Cherry Tan became a cabin crew member for Singapore Airlines (SIA) at the age of 23.

She told AsiaOne: “I’m actually embarrassed to say that I tried at least 10 times before I got in.”

However, after working so hard to land her dream job, the now 29-year-old decided to leave SIA and swapped the iconic cabin crew sarong kebaya for an apron.

She, along with her Taiwanese husband, former hotel chef Duncan Hsu, invested $30,000 to begin their journey as street vendors in May.

His stall, Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki, located in Woodlands, sells Taiwanese night market-style teppanyaki.

Think main dishes like chicken cutlets served with pasta or rice on a griddle. Cherry explains that this type of teppanyaki is “very common” in Taiwan.

It looked very similar to typical Western food in Singapore, so I was intrigued to see what the food on offer would taste like.

But before that, I wanted to unravel the journey of a millennial who went from a career as a pilot to a career as a fryer.

Working for the dream

Getting into the world of work as a cabin crew member for SIA came with its challenges, but Cherry was not about to give up at the first hurdle.

An obstacle that had to be overcome At first he was controlling his nervousness during the recruiting process.

Cherry admits that this manifested itself in the form of a stutter, which only diminished her chances of being recruited.

“But back then I was very young,” he explains, adding that he was only 19 when he started giving interviews.

An internship at The Ritz-Carlton gave her the opportunity to interact with guests, which built her confidence.

Cherry continued auditioning for the role of SIA and eventually landed it in 2018.

After finally landing her dream job, she thought she was going to “fly through life.”

A good amount of days off per month along with a “decent” salary, all while traveling around the world.

But after four or five years as a flight attendant, he wondered if his future lay in the industry.

When pressed to say whether a particular incident prompted this rethink, Cherry remained tight-lipped, citing “personal reasons.”

However, he adds: “Although SIA provided me with a very good career path, it was perhaps not in line with what I was looking for.”

The life of a street vendor

Cherry had known for some time that Duncan had plans to start his own business.

For her part, it never occurred to her to become an entrepreneur, but she was excited to be part of this adventure.

While she admits she misses the flying lifestyle, Cherry feels this career change would be just as rewarding, if not more so.

“I know it will be worth it. My husband is happy every day,” she says.

Cherry’s role during the early stages of the business was crucial.

She understood that as a foreigner, her husband might have difficulty understanding local rules and regulations or administrative matters when setting up a business in Singapore.

“Even now I see myself in a supporting role,” he adds.

When I stopped by during lunchtime, I had a chance to better understand their roles at the street stall.

Duncan runs the kitchen, shouting instructions as he prepares orders, while his wife has a customer-facing role, handling sales and service.

Even on a normal weekday afternoon, Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki had many customers.

But working in a fast-paced environment is nothing new for Cherry.

“On the plane, the galley is also very small. There’s a lot of movement in a small space, so I was trained to have a lot of situational awareness,” he says.

Being aware of her surroundings to ensure the safety of her peers has become almost second nature to her.

Cherry tells AsiaOne that business has been good so far and that sometimes there comes a point where demand far outstrips supply.

There are days when the stand does not have enough manpower to prepare the ingredients for a lunch or dinner service.

They would prepare as much as they could but there have been times when they have had to turn away some customers.

Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki is considering increasing its staff to solve this problem.

During my visit, Cherry mentioned that the Teppanyaki bean sprouts had sold out that day.

So I paired my Chicken Chop Set ($8.50) with Teppanyaki noodles, sweet corn, and a mix of their mushroom and black pepper sauce.

Cherry also proudly mentioned that the chicken thigh is grilled to order (so be prepared to wait about 10 minutes after placing your order).

Pre-cooking the chicken was never an option as this would cause the meat to dry out.

Given its price and portion size, it’s no wonder this menu item is the stand’s best-selling item.

The chicken thigh is juicy, with a delicious golden brown from the grill, while the sweet corn complements both sauces well, especially the spicier black pepper sauce.

The pasta was decent too.

Overall it was a very enjoyable meal and given the huge portion sizes I had a hard time finishing the whole plate.

Upon my return, I would probably try the halibut ($12.50) or the rib eye steak ($13.50).

And maybe a serving of those bean sprouts, fingers crossed.

ADDRESS: 325 Woodlands Street 32, Singapore 730325

Opening hours: Thursday to Monday, 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00. Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

READ ALSO: “Some people said I was crazy”: Former SIA cabin crew member shares why she left Singapore to start a new life in Canada

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