From my dad's wok to a food factory.
Recipes, kitchens, and what I learned building a food business. Written by a chef, slowly.
It started with one stall and one wok.
My father, Chef Keong, opened his first stall on 6 August 1982: a push-cart stove on Lorong Yap Ah Loy. Regulars came to know it as Keong Kee under the big tree, and later just for its sang har mee.
the old price list
I grew up between the stove and the customers.
- 0people watched me steam an egg
- 0years in professional kitchens
- 0kitchens across 3 cities
- 0food factory
- Paper records.Orders on slips, stock in a notebook, everything in someone's head.
- Then systems.One place for orders, stock, production, quality checks and deliveries.
- Now automation.Routine checks run on their own and flag only what needs attention, so the team can focus on the food.
ORDER · THURSDAY
40 ctn · original
24 ctn · spicy
deliver Mon? Tue
check stock first!!
- 12 retail orders received and entered
- Stock checked against this week's plan
- 2 production batches scheduled for Wednesday
- Yesterday's batch QC records filed
- 1 delivery without signed proofStore closed for a holiday · follow-up set for Monday
Rapi. One web app, from raw material to retail shelf.
A custom web app for manufacturing and traceability, built by a chef for a working food factory. Paper records, gone digital.
Batch traceability
Every pack traces back to its production batch and raw materials, and forward to the store it went to.
Production planner
An automated calculator turns orders into batches, raw material needs and production days.
QR warehouse
Every carton and pallet carries a QR tag. Scan in, scan out, and stock counts stay accurate.
Field proof of work
Merchandiser store visits are logged with GPS location and a timestamp, with anti-discrepancy checks built in.
Orders & delivery tracking
Retail orders, delivery dates and signed proofs in one place, with store holidays built in.
Quality records
QC checks and food-safety records filed by batch, ready for the next audit.
Today's notes 今日
read time · not priceEthan Wong