Dylan Ong has an endearing smile that’s bigger than his eyes.
A goofy character with a self-deprecating sense of humour, his ‘just do it’ entrepreneurial streak has brought him on an eventful journey so far.
After co-founding Saveur, he’s brought his own philosophy of creative freedom to The Masses, a space where his crew is free to express ideas.
He skateboards, listens to hard rap and rock, and plays with fires. Life will never be boring with him around.
When he was young, he thought F&B wasn’t for him.
“I didn’t stumble upon F&B just like that, because my parents were hawkers. They had a stall selling kway chap. So we all know what my favourite food is!
Hawkers are incredible, exciting people. My parents would start work at like 4 or 5 am because they had to wash out intestines and stuff, and go home about 9 pm. That’s crazy.
So when I was young, I thought, F&B is a tough life, no way man.”
He was quite a troublemaker in his young days.
“Back then, I was quite a hooligan. You know, peer pressure and all that.
But there was an incident when I was sixteen. A fight. Rioting police came and I was locked up for 2 days.
I realised that I didn’t want to stick around in life like this. So one of my kind classmates asked me to church.
At first, I was like, ‘No man. This God thing ain’t for me.’ But after I went, I felt good. I realised there is a relationship with God. It’s purifying for the soul. That was when I started to change and take my life more seriously.”
The Last Supper has a special significance for him.
“The Last Supper reminds me of my craft and what I do. It’s about food. The story was that Christ decided to wash his disciples’ feet before he was crucified, and it’s a humbling lesson for me.
That even before I attain my goals, I must learn to serve the people around me. Be it my staff, be my loved ones, or someone I don’t know.”
He dabbled in engineering, but going back to F&B felt like a homecoming.
“I decided to put my time in F&B again. I thought maybe there was some future there for me.
So I went to SHATEC to study as a chef, and really put in my F&B experience from young and improve. After that, I worked at a few fine-dining restaurants, then went to army.
My mother is a chef. I have five siblings and all of them are chefs. Everyone can cook. So my family always says that it’s in the blood. Going back to F&B felt right.”
Watch him in action.
Shortly after NS, he started Saveur with a friend.
“After I left army, with my friend I opened Saveur at a coffee shop. We had to learn how to set up everything — the menu, the floor, location, budgeting, food cost and all that.
You know when you go to the army, you don’t bring your brain — it’s left at home. So it was scary because the first day of my operations, I kind of forgot how to cook!
But you just have to force yourself to just survive and do it. Just cling onto whatever it is and make it work. It’s do or die right?”
His F&B journey continues with The Masses, where he and his crew serve up ‘Contemporary Happy Food’.
“I started The Masses to understand cuisine better. I like freedom, things that are not bound, things that are very creative.
I want the freedom to use anything and everything. The freedom to practice different cooking styles and at the same time, entrust our staff, our cooks, our chefs, to be able to express themselves too.
So, we call ourselves contemporary. Contemporary means that there are zero boundaries of any ingredient, any heritage, any culture.”
Redefining hospitality in F&B
“Our whole philosophy of serving this food here is for the masses, for everyone. That’s why we’re called ‘The Masses’.
Anyone can come in, and there is zero awkwardness. We are too loud sometimes. The music is loud. But we have a special relationship with our guests.
When people think of hospitality, they always think of high-end bars and fine-dining restaurants. But small places like The Masses and Free The Robot are really all about creating hospitality that’s not so stiff, and brings us closer to our customers.”
Age is catching up with him…in a Benjamin Button way.
“I’m actually quite an extreme sports person. As I grow older, I realise how much I yearn to be young. Not in the sense of looks, but more of remembering the things that I loved when I was young.
For most people, as they grow older, their taste in music tones down. But for me it’s the opposite. As I grow older, my rap gets harder, rock music gets harder. Of course, I still listen to other stuff!
When I was young, I loved skateboarding. So last Christmas, I bought a skateboard for myself. To remember how it was like to have so much freedom, skate around, break a few bones…
Yes, of course I can still skate! Don’t like that, lah. I can do tricks too.”
The author accepts all responsibility for not asking Chef Dylan to bring his nostalgic skateboard. But to check out what’s in his bag of tricks — not just on the skateboard but in the kitchen too —simply pop by The Masses for a real good time!
If you’re a creative soul who’s interested in working with Chef Dylan, apply now at Rezhelp!
About Rezhelp:
We’re an F&B community for people who love what they do. We believe there’s nothing stronger than inspiration in action.
