Kwan Swee Lian (born 1933) is a Malaysian chef and businessperson. Known as the "nasi lemak queen", she is recognised for establishing Sakura, a restaurant famous for its nasi lemak and beef rendang. Sakura prompted the opening of Madam Kwan's, which is now led by her son Rudy.[1]

Early life

The seventh child of the family, Kwan was born 1933 in Kluang, Johor, Malaysia. Kwan's father was a labourer and her mother was a homemaker.[2] She studied at Kuan Cheng Girls' School in Kuala Lumpur, where her family relocated to later. After two years of secondary education, Kwan decided to pursue a professional career. Starting out as a salesperson, she established Sakura, a hair salon, around 1958.[2] Sakura was subsequently converted into a restaurant some two decades later.[2]

Career

Due to unspecified bad choices, Kwan had to sell Sakura around the year 2000. The new owners of the restaurant then sacked her, leaving Kwan with just a little cash.[2] Deciding to work from a rented food stall, Kwan suffered another setback when no profits were made. Instead, large losses were incurred due to the high rent and the cost of the ingredients.[2] As a "tribute" to Kwan, her youngest son Rudy decided to forgo his career in the stock market and establish Madam Kwan's, a Malaysia-based restaurant selling similar food items as Sakura does, in 1999.[2][3] The rendang sold at Madam Kwan's is personally cooked by Kwan, alongside other food items. The restaurant is recognised for its beef rendang and nasi lemak, the latter selling around a thousand plates a day. Kwan also serves as a food taster for Madam Kwan's.[2]

Personal life

Kwan wed Foo Lum Choon, a medical doctor, in 1962. Born 1917, Foo died in 2007, leaving Kwan a widow.[2] They had four children: three sons and a daughter. Among the three sons, two of them have died as of 2013. The surviving son, Rudy, is an accountant and the head of Madam Kwan's.[2] Their daughter Shirley is a homemaker.[2] Kwan is an avid hat collector with about twenty in her collection.[2] She labels herself as a "perfectionist".[4]

References

  1. ↑ Lee Khang Yi (5 July 2015). "The story behind Madam Kwan's". The Malay Mail. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Wong Ah Yoke (27 May 2013). "From facials to nasi lemak". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2019. (subscription required)
  3. ↑ Rebecca Lynne Tan (23 March 2013). "Madam Kwan's opens in Singapore". Asia News Network. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ↑ Sarantsatral A. (16 June 2007). "A woman of substance". The Star. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
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