Kwan Swee Lian (, born 1933) is a

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

and

businessperson A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

. Known as the "

nasi lemak ''Nasi lemak'' is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered the national dish. It is also the native dish in neighbouri ...

queen", she is recognised for establishing Sakura, a restaurant famous for its nasi lemak and

beef rendang Rendang ( ; ) is a Minang dish originating from the Minangkabau region in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has spread across Indonesian cuisine to the cuisines of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the ...

. Sakura prompted the opening of Madam Kwan's, which is now led by her son Rudy.

Early life

The seventh child of the family, Kwan was born 1933 in Kluang,

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Kwan's father was a labourer and her mother was a homemaker. She studied at Kuan Cheng Girls' School in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, 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. Sakura was subsequently converted into a restaurant some two decades later.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Personal life

Kwan wed Foo Lum Choon, a medical doctor, in 1962. Born 1917, Foo died in 2007, leaving Kwan a widow. 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. Their daughter Shirley is a homemaker. Kwan is an avid hat collector with about twenty in her collection. She labels herself as a " perfectionist".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwan, Swee Lian 1933 births Living people Malaysian people of Chinese descent Malaysian chefs People from Kluang