I was born on 15 October 1971 in Muar, Johor, marking the start of my journey in life and culinary as the eldest son amongst three siblings. Culinary was my first language, speaking through the flames of an old gas stove in my village before I could even read or write. As a little boy, I grew up on strong family values and was always quick to help my parents cook for their small food stall back in my home village.

My passion and skill for cooking kept growing throughout my childhood years and as a young adult, I started my maiden voyage as a Chef aboard MISC and continued sailing the rough seas for the next 7 years. This was a goldmine of experience and knowledge where I learned the culture, history and art of culinary from more than 25 different countries across the globe. 

During this time I was exposed to many different tastes, sights and smells which are unique to different cultures. I was intrigued as to how such simple ingredients, provided by mother nature herself can be turned into a culinary masterpiece under the skillful hands of a chef. This magical process is not magic but rather a form of art, like that of Van Gogh turning splotches of paint into his Starry Night.

As my time sailing the seas came to an end, I joined JW Marriott & YTL group but deep down I knew I wanted to create something, just like Van Gogh, I wanted to create my own Starry Night. Something that is uniquely mine. With that, I embarked on my successful journey as an entrepreneur and opened several of my own restaurants including, Jook Bistro and Nautica Cafe. 

However, I still felt like I could do better, like I have not yet achieved my masterpiece. And with that, I opened Alwi’s Food, with my name stamped on the restaurant itself. I knew I had to make this my masterpiece. It wasn’t a journey without obstacles but after over 30 years as a Top Chef and Chefpreneur, using all the knowledge and ability I acquired, I dare say Alwi’s Food is indeed my masterpiece.

Now that I have succeeded as a chef, I found a new purpose in life which is to share my experiences and knowledge with upcoming chefs and Chefpreneurs. With this new purpose at heart, I have consulted on various projects in restaurants’ turnkey management such as Bara Restaurant and Zuca Italian Restaurant. I also ventured into mass media to reach a broader audience and managed to be a host for destinasi TV as well as make many food review videos alongside their production crew. Through working with them, I managed to secure a fully sponsored 10 day trip around Saudi Arabia exploring the unique cuisine of another country thanks to Destinasi TV and the Safar Buddies. Now, I am an ambassador for the Al’ard  Far East Company which produces high quality Palestinian products including my favourite extra virgin olive oil.

I remain, first and foremost a chef, and although my masterpiece is created, it is not completed. I strive to challenge myself, learn, improve, innovate and expand my knowledge, constantly creating new dishes and exploring the infinite varieties of cuisine.