Food & Cooking
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Retrenched because of Covid-19, ex-hotel workers in Penang provide delicious packed meals at W. Kitchen

Bertie A. Kinser
W. Kitchen staff prepares lunch boxes for delivery and takeaways. — Picture by Steven Ooi KE

W. Kitchen staff prepares lunch boxes for delivery and takeaways. — Picture by Steven Ooi KE

GEORGE TOWN, March 11 — When The Northam All Suite Hotel closed its doors last June for a massive two-year renovation, most of its employees were laid off.

Wang Chen Yee, 54, who was the general manager, decided to start a small food business and roped in some of the former hotel employees.

“We were retrenched so I was thinking of what to do next and I wanted to do something to help those who are talented but with nowhere to go,” he said.

This saw the birth of W. Kitchen in late June, a catering and lunch box business located in a shophouse at Arratoon Road in George Town.

The team of about 10 people, all retrenched hotel workers, started producing hotel-quality and reasonably-priced breakfast, lunch and dinner sets for delivery and takeaways.

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Food & Cooking
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Denver’s Meta Asian Kitchen celebrates tradition with food

Bertie A. Kinser

Every order comes with Chinese red envelopes. Some will have $2 and others will have golden tickets that can be redeemed for a free entree.

DENVER — We’re in the middle of Chinese New Year and as we welcome in The Year of the Ox, we’re sharing how a husband and wife team is sharing their favorite traditions and hoping to bring a little luck into this new year.

“Chinese New Year is one of my favorite holidays,” said Doris Yuen, one of the owners of Meta Asian Kitchen in Denver.

For Yuen and her husband, Ken Wan, this time of year carries many different traditions.

“I would eat a lot during Chinese new year growing up,” said Wan.

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And as the owners of Meta Asian Kitchen, it’s no surprise a lot of those are centered around food.

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Food Traditional
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Bill of Fare: Quality food and loyal customers keep Antimo’s Italian Kitchen cookin’ throughout pandemic

Bertie A. Kinser

Customer loyalty and a reputation for quality food have sustained Antimo’s Italian Kitchen in Hopewell Borough throughout the pandemic.

With indoor dining in New Jersey restricted to 25 percent of each restaurant’s capacity, the focus is on contactless curbside pickup, says owner Antimo Iovine.

“Ninety-five percent of our business is curbside pickup,” he said, since reopening after the initial state-ordered closure at the start of the pandemic.

Customers order their food and pay online, park in a spot designated for pickup, pop their trunk (making sure there is room for the food) and call the restaurant to let them know they have arrived. Staff members bring out their food and put it in the trunk.

On the restaurant website Iovine assures his customers that he and his staff are taking extra precautions for cleanliness and sanitation while offering the same quality food they are known for.

Iovine said he has

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Street Food
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Hong Kong TEST KITCHEN Street Food Menu

Bertie A. Kinser

Prior to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong‘s TEST KITCHEN, the brainchild of Vincent Mui, was responsible for hosting over 100 pop-ups with different chefs from all over the world. The concept was a chance to show the local culinary scene snapshots of the diverse flavors from all over the globe while showcasing the talents of up-and-coming, critically acclaimed, and even Michelin Star chefs.

With air travel shuttered, the team at TEST KITCHEN has now resorted to a new way of displaying its love for food — now with a more localized approach with a grab-and-go menu. This “street-food-meets-fast-casual” concept strays from TEST KITCHEN’s customary 8-course tasting menus with wine pairing, and now elects for more approachable and casual food that can be ordered for takeout.

While the dining experience has been simplified, the preparation and ingredient sourcing remains very TEST KITCHEN. Giving an example of things to come was

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