June 16, 2024, 11:09 AM
It was all laughs and giggles between Chef Bob and his son, Umar, when they visited the Mothership studio for a Father's Day interview.
@mothership.nova 🥹🥹🥹 @chefbob.sg #tiktoksg #fathersday #chef #interview #sgnews #singapore #fatherslove ♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS) - Tommy Richman
It was a heartening sight to behold.
For those of you who don't know, Chef Bob is a celebrity chef, entrepreneur, and most importantly, a father to his only son, 10-year-old Umar.
The 44-year-old has starred in multiple cooking programs, travelogues, and even has his own YouTube channel.
To top it off, he recently opened his Indonesian food stall in a coffee shop in Yishun.
He's also known for his friend-like interactions with his son, quite unlike your typical Asian dad.
Father and friend
To Chef Bob, he and his son share a beautiful relationship.
It's a relationship where Chef Bob hopes that Umar treats his father like a friend and not keep any secrets from him.
However, Umar still knows his boundaries as the offspring and shows Chef Bob the respect he deserves as his father, the joker of a dad said with a serving of seriousness.
"I will be the cool Dad," Chef Bob quipped, nonetheless.
To see to that aspiration, Chef Bob said he is supportive of whatever Umar intends to do in the future, and at the moment, his young son's dream is to be an online streamer.
Though Chef Bob has his concerns, he said he will still accept and support Umar if that is what he really wants to pursue.
A father's sacrifice
Being a chef, one might already know the extensive hours that comes with the job.
"I used to work 18-hour shifts. When I go out of the house, there's no sun. When I come back from work, there's also no sun," he said, explaining to us the long hours required to run a restaurant.
But now, he has made adjustments to his career for his son and has chosen to be a more hands-on father as compared to spending long hours in the kitchen.
"As a Dad, my working hours are 24 hours a day" he chuckled, but still told us that being a father was more fulfilling and enjoyable than being a chef.
Fun fact: Chef Bob lost 95kg in two years for his son.
His inspiration
Being a father isn't easy, but he has learned from the best, such as from his own parents.
Chef Bob shared that his parents taught him the meaning of respecting and loving one another unconditionally, regardless of anything and to always forgive and forget.
It is this way, he said, as it is important for family to rely on one another.
He said he knows that he will be the best parent to Umar, because he himself had the best parents growing up.
Being this tight with his kid has also made him emotional in ways he had never foreseen.
Chef Bob said: "He (Umar) snores like my late father, so when I see him snore, sometimes I cry, because it reminds me of my late father."
Top images via @chefbob.sg on Instagram and Fasiha Nazren.
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