Mothership has been around for 10 years already!?

Whoa, even we’re surprised.

But hey, we made it somehow. And it’s all thanks to you.

Saying thank you is not enough. For our anniversary, we’re giving back to young people in Singapore, through ways that we believe will be meaningful to the next generation.

As one of our special initiatives, we collaborated with online personality Jason Chua and actor-singer Glenn Yong to treat beneficiaries from Life Community Services Society to a special dinner. 

One call was all it took to set the wheels of an idea in motion.

When we reached out to Jason Chua, better known as Beng Who Cooks, and proposed the idea of hosting a dinner event for young people from vulnerable backgrounds, his response was immediate and unwavering: I'm in.

No hesitation whatsoever.

Chua is no stranger to helping youths, having previously started "Beng Who Cooks Foundation" to cook and deliver food to anyone who needed it.

"Do you need any help?" We asked. "How can we help on the day itself?"

His suggestion was for us to help serve and clear dishes as his staff would be busy in the kitchen. (Of course, we readily agreed.)

3-course dinner + a special performance

The beneficiaries for the night were from Life Community Services Society (LCSS), an organisation dedicated to doing intervention work with vulnerable young people facing challenging family situations.

Once the guests arrived, Chua sprang to action in the kitchen to prepare the dishes.

The menu for the night: Tomato soup, lemon risotto with fish, and a chocolate tart for dessert.

You can't go wrong with food when it comes to bringing people together. But to make the experience even more special, the dinner needed a live performance.

Enter Glenn Yong + our speakers and AV equipment:

The 27-year-old actor-singer is known for being an advocate for the less fortunate. He has sponsored children in the Philippines, and has been actively doing outreach programmes within schools in between his gigs.

When he heard about our plan to host a dinner for the LCSS beneficiaries and their families, he was excited to come on board to help.

He put up a special mini-concert, which included his original song "Dear Friend" as well as his rendition of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours".

When he wasn't performing, Yong seized the opportunity to connect with the youths and their families on a personal level, and went from table to table to chat with them.

As he moved around the restaurant, he patiently addressed any curious questions from the youths and offered them advice where he could.

For him, he believes that "the key to being happy in life is really embracing what you have right now", and hopes that youths can maintain a positive outlook on life regardless of their challenges.

Meanwhile, as more dishes were being served and cleared, our colleagues rolled up their sleeves to tackle a never-ending stack of dirty bowls and plates, taking it all in stride.

Yes, even our director chipped in to help.

Cooking demonstration by Chua

Before dessert was served, the guests were greeted with another surprise as Chua took the time to give a short cooking demonstration on how to prepare spaghetti carbonara.

He told Mothership that he hopes to equip young people with valuable life skills, such as preparing nutritious meals independently.

Here's Yong joining in as sous chef to help Chua out (he may or may not have been helpful):

"Eh, you good eh!" Chua exclaimed, as Yong diligently followed his instructions.

The pair charmed the crowd with their playful banter, resulting in plenty of stifled laughs and giggles. In fact, the chemistry between them was so on point, we would never have guessed that it was their first time collaborating.

After the short cooking class, we shared our 10th-anniversary cake with all the guests before the night came to an end.

A sweet finale to a heartwarming evening.

Top photos by Lee Wei Lin & Jessica Lau