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Michelin chef returns to S'pore & starts tiramisu home business with family after 8 years abroad
Homecoming.
December 14, 2024, 10:26 AM
After an eight-year culinary venture abroad, Michelin chef Andrew Yeo finally decided it was time to head home.
Born and raised in Singapore, Yeo first spent three years in the kitchens of Boston before continuing his venture in London's gastronomic scene.
His decision to retire from the global stage stemmed from a desire to reunite with his family.
However, it seemed Yeo couldn't stay away from the kitchen for long: soon enough, he found himself wound up in yet another culinary endeavour — this time, one he can now truly call his own.
This is the story of Fluff Tiramisu.
A family business
Shortly after his return to Singapore, Yeo decided to cook for his family on one occasion.
His dish of choice: tiramisu, a dessert he had fallen in love with on a trip to Italy during his five-year stint in London.
"[My nephew and his girlfriend] tried it. I was very happy [to see the look on their] face[s]. They smiled and said, 'Oh, wow. This is something unique.'"
His nephew, who thought the fluffiness of Yeo's tiramisu set it apart, insisted that his uncle had to share his rendition of the dessert with the world.
A few words of encouragement later, Fluff Tiramisu was born.
A joint venture by Yeo and his nephew, the business operates primarily via Instagram and currently offers just three items on their menu: classic tiramisu for purists, as well as in orange white chocolate and azuki matcha flavours for those looking to try something a little different.
The chef explained that the few variations were so they could master the "basics" of tiramisu before expanding their menu.
Yeo also expressed his pleasant surprise at Singapore's progress toward sustainability and zero waste, and aspires for his business to reflect these values.
Following in grandma's footsteps
When asked how he first got into cooking, Yeo cited his grandmother as his greatest source of inspiration.
"She's a great cook. Everything she baked, everything she [cooked], my god, it was always perfect."
Aside from nurturing his interest in the culinary arts, Yeo's grandmother was also the one who'd encouraged him to go to culinary school.
And so he did, with one goal in mind: to eventually travel the world as a chef.
Unfortunately, few opportunities presented themselves during his protégé years; the turning point in Yeo's career came only after he'd joined the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
He was offered a role as executive chef in a kitchen halfway across the world, in Boston, which he readily took up.
Yeo joked, "I think [my boss] had enough of me at work."
It was meant to be a three-year stint, but the chef ended up extending his stay when another opportunity arose to helm the kitchens of Hakkasan Group in London, a Michelin-starred restaurant chain.
Photo via Hakkasan Group.
And there he stayed for the next five years, until his homesickness inevitably got the best of him.
"[I thought to myself,] 'I can keep on [going], but when do I want to come back and be with my family?' [So] I decided [to] take a break, be back and spend some time with my family."
Top photos via Hakkasan Group and Fluff Tiramisu's Instagram page.
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