The Stoveside Stories Podcast

Growing up in Malaysia's Petaling Jaya, Chef Darren Toh was raised in a mixed-heritage family. His mother with an Indian background and his father a Chinese one.

 

Since he was young, he has always loved food and experimenting with them. So, after graduating from secondary school, he enrolled in culinary school.

 

After working in various restaurants in Malaysia and Singapore, Chef Toh became a culinary teacher in Taylor's University and KDU University College. 

 

While completing his MBA in Europe, he also staged briefly in places like Noma in Denmark and Restaurant Amador in Germany.

 

In 2015, he opened Dewakan, a fine-dining restaurant that serve indigenous Malaysian ingredients on the ground floor of KDU University College campus in Shah Alam, Malaysia. He then relocated the restaurant to Kuala Lumpur in 2019.

 

Dewakan was the first Malaysian restaurant to enter Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. It also obtained the first Michelin star in the first Malaysia Michelin Guide in 2022. They garnered the second Michelin star in 2023.

 

In this episode, Chef Toh talks about the national rivalry of chicken rice, his favorite food, his thoughts on theatrical restaurants and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

As a native who was born-and-bred in Singapore, Chef LG Han did not originally plan to become a chef despite coming from a family that boasts 3 generations of restaurateurs.

 

He studied finance at the London School of Economics and worked as a banker in Singapore. However, the culinary bug eventually caught him. So, he quit the banker's job and threw himself into the kitchen.

 

After gaining experience all over Europe and Singapore, he eventually opened Labyrinth in 2014. The menu at the time emphasized local ingredients and using them to create elevated Singaporean street food.

 

In 2017, his restaurant was awarded a Michelin star and in 2021 it was recognized amongst Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

 

Chef Han has since updated his approach to one that infuses different products around the world to highlight the Singaporean way of cooking.

 

Even with all the changes, he has kept the restaurant amongst the best in Asia for both critics and diners. That includes being ranked #97 in the 2025 World’s 50 Best list, #40 in the 2026 Asia’s 50 Best list and maintaining the one Michelin star rating.  He has also opened new concepts like Milli Sky Dining & Bar.

 

In this episode, Chef Han talks about the importance of joy in cooking, pacing a menu, the memories of his grandma, why chefs travel and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Born in Johor, Malaysia, Chef Johnson Wong saw an ad by chance about Le Cordon Bleu from a magazine and decided that it was something he wanted to do. 

 

So, he traveled to Australia to study at the prestigious institute. After graduating, he worked at various fine-dining kitchens in France and Denmark as well as those located in Macau and Singapore.

 

Upon his return to Malaysia, he decided to open his own restaurant Gen in Penang in 2018. He focuses on translating "our Malaysian story" into an edible experience by cooking his take on Malaysian cuisine, with local ingredients that are often under-the-radar outside of the country.

 

Thanks to the diligent work of himself and the team, Gen won a spot on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2021, while Chef Wong won the Young Chef Award 2024 by Michelin Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

 

In this episode, Chef Wong talks about being a young person in the kitchen, the challenges of the restaurant business, putting too much faith in a recipe and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Born in Perth, Australia, Chef Dave Pynt has worked with a host of legendary chefs like Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuya’s in Sydney; Waku Ghin in London), Rene Redzepi (Noma in Copenhagen), Fergus Henderson (St John and St John Bread and Wine in London) and Nũno Mendes (Viajanteand The Loft Project, London). 

 

It was at Bittor Arginzoniz's Asador Etxebarri in Axpe Achondo, Spain, however, that he truly transformed himself. There, Chef Pynt started to realize the true potential of cooking with fire and wood.

 

He then started a pop-up restaurant in London in Spring of 2012. It was hugely successful and served up to 350 guests a day on weekends.

 

After the pop-up ended, he traveled and keep learning around the world, before settling down and opening Burnt Ends in Singapore. It entered the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list at #30 in 2014 and has held a Michelin star since it was first awarded in 2018. The restaurant has continued to climb to new heights: as high as #15 in Asia's 50 Best and #68 in World's 50 Best. In 2026, it was named #9 in World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list.

 

As the accolades and customers came piling in, the location soon outgrew itself. So, in 2022, Chef Pynt moved Burnt Ends from Chinatown to the historic 40-hectare site known as Dempsey Hill.

 

In this episode, Chef Pynt talks about being cussed out early on in his career, cooking with fire, opening a restaurant in a completely foreign place and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Born and grew up in Mumbai, India, Chef Varun Totlani has always loved food and all things related to it. He spent a lot of time watching cooking shows and internet videos for fun.

 

His dreams took on a more professional tone as he began to stage at a 5-star hotel in the city then moved to Hyderabad to study at the Culinary Academy of India, and later graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

 

When he returned to India in 2016, he joined the Masque opening team as a Commis, and rose through the ranks from being the Sous Chef in 2021, to the Head Chef in 2022. He is focused on showcasing the diversity of India’s produce and carrying the cuisine forward into the future.

 

After Chef Totlani took over the rein in 2025, the restaurant was ranked as No.19 in the 2025 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list. In 2026, it jumped to No. 15 and also won the prestigious Art of Hospitality Award.

 

In this episode, Chef Totlani talks about defying the naysayers, the complexity of Indian food, his life philosophy and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Chef Michael Stadtländer of Eigensinn Farm in Singhampton, Canada, grew up on a family farm in Lubeck, Germany. As a young person, Chef Michael Stadtländer was immersed in food. From helping with collecting ingredients to prepping in the kitchen, his early life revolved around it.

 

After meeting Chef Jamie Kennedy - a Toronto native - in Switzerland during the 1980s, they went to Canada to run the newly opened Scaramouche restaurant.

 

In 1993, he bought a piece of land in nearby Singhampton, Ontario and opened Eigensinn Farm. And from that moment on, he has been at the forefront of farm-to-table movement and was ahead of the trend for a few decades.

 

He is also an artist and an activist. He created functional works of art on his property and commissioned multiple art projects. He also organized charity events such as Foodstock and Soupstock, which were instrumental in stopping the development of a limestone quarry in Ontario.

 

In this Back to the Archives episode, Chef Stadtländer shares funny stories from his youth, why charity is important to him, the difference between Vancouver and Toronto and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Born and raised in Peru, Chef Jaime Pesaque started his culinary journey as a teenager, then studied at Le Cordon Bleu, Italian Culinary Institute (ICIF) as well as the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

 

Afterwards, worked at a number of legendary restaurants such as El Celler de Can Roca in Spain among others in Europe before going back to his home country.

 

Upon returning, he led Al Grano, an Italian restaurant. Eventually though, Chef Pesaque shifted his focus back to his native Peruvian food as he opened Mayta in 2008.

 

In 2019, Mayta entered the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants, where it currently ranks 13th. In 2020, it made its debut on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, reaching 39th place. That same year, it was named Best Restaurant in the World by the World Culinary Awards. In addition, he has also been recognized by The Best Chef Awards.

 

As an entrepreneur, he expanded his business and opened concepts such as Sapiens, 500 Grados, and Mad Burger in Lima. Operating as "culinary embassies", he also opened Callao in The Hague, Netherlands and Mad Burger as well as NUNA in Miami, US.

 

In this Back to the Archives episode, Chef Pesaque shares his thoughts on the money aspect of a restaurant, the pressure chefs face, the reality of being creative and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Though Chef Georgianna Hiliadaki first studied European Studies and Italian in the UK, she found her true passion and went to train as a chef at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York.

 

After her training, she co-founded Funky Gourmet in Athens and becoming the first Greek woman to earn two Michelin stars. She also helped open OPSO in London, and now works on restaurant projects in Greece and abroad.

 

In 2019, Funky Gourmet was slated to close temporarily but the pandemic caused a permanent shutdown. In 2024, she opened Iodio, a new restaurant in Athens to rave reviews. Recently, she started another new restaurant called Lianolia in Parga, a Greek resort town known for its natural environment.

 

In this Back to the archives episode, Chef Hiliadaki talks about food stereotypes, what real Greek food means to her, the wild Ancient Greek recipes she put to use and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Born and brought up in London England, Chef Wong grew up in a restaurant family. His grandfather, who moved to London as a Chinese refugee, owned a restaurant in Chinatown. While his father was the first Chinese publican in the United Kingdom. In 1985, his parents opened Kym's a Cantonese restaurant in Pimlico. 

 

He started to help in the kitchen by washing dishes since he was seven years old. Though he was accepted to law school, he only stayed for a cup of coffee and dropped out very soon after and changed his studies to anthropology instead.

 

When Chef Wong’s mother wanted to sell the family restaurant in 2012, he and his wife, Nathalie, took over and renamed it A. Wong. In 2017, A. Wong restaurant received its first Michelin star. And in 2021, A. Wong achieved a coveted second Michelin star.

 

Chef Wong, together with his longtime collaborator Dr. Mukta Das, a distinguished food anthropologist, also host a podcast called XO Soused. The program dives into a wide range of Chinese culinary topics, such as recipes, ingredients, cultural importance, and the fascinating evolution of Chinese cuisine throughout history.

 

In this Back to the archives episode, Chef Wong talks about the enormous variations and evolution of Chinese food, his take on Michelin stars, how Chinese cuisine compare to Western food and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

 

Chef and Co-owner Rasmus Kofoed of Geranium restaurant was born in Birkerød, Denmark. He grew up in the old ferry town of Vordingborg, located 100km south of Copenhagen. Thanks to a mother who often took him foraging in the forest or along the coastline, he became enamored with food and cooking at an early age.

 

Having trained in Denmark and Belgium, he ultimately returned to Copenhagen and opened Geranium in 2007 with his business partner Søren Ledet. They moved the location to the current one within Parken Stadium, where the Danish national football team calls home.

 

The restaurant has garnered one Michelin Star Awarded in 2012, two in 2013, three in 2016. In addition, it was named the 2022 best restaurant in the world by World's 50 Best Restaurant.

 

He is the only chef in history to have achieved bronze, silver, and gold at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or culinary competition. Furthermore, he has coached teams of different nationalities to compete at this event.

 

In this Back to the archives episode, Chef Kofoed talks about changing the menu by removing meat products, how chefs are not educated properly in how to take care of themselves, staying creative by being challenged and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!