Wise Chef was founded by 4 humble Malaccans who are proud of one of Malacca’s founding culture and heritage - The Baba & Nyonya also known as The Peranakans. As the Peranakans are world known for their richness in culture, traditions, language, rituals and of course food; this heritage serves the foundation of Wise Chef.
Wise Chef is committed in preserving the authenticity and originality of Peranakan food as; if not preserved will only be extinct in the near future. One very distinct similarity in most Peranakan people is that they are highly passionate over their food.
The name Wise Chef came about during a discussion between its founders which now became a home joke. They joked that they needed “wise” chefs to ensure their products are catered to today’s demands yet, not lose in authenticity. Indeed; with this objective in mind, most of their advisers and chefs are Peranakans (mostly retirees) who nostalgically reminisce their childhood favorite foods and strive to bring them back today - given these foods are not easily available now.
Nyonya Pineapple Tarts is their first line of product because the demand for this delicacy is high yet; locals and tourists both cannot think of a strong brand name in mind when looking to buy these authentic tarts. Nevertheless, tarts can also be enjoyed all year round. In addition, many friends and relatives love giving pineapple tarts as “buah tangan” which means gifts when visiting another. This may be so because pineapple is called “Ong Lai” in the hokkien dialect which is also a dialect casually used among Peranakans. “Ong Lai” literally translates as “fortune comes”. The giving of Pineapple Tarts to friends with this good meaning in mind, makes it a very favorable choice. Finally, visitors of Malacca are always looking for something originally from Malacca to bring home. Nyonya Tarts obviously becomes listed as Nyonya Tarts were born and made popular here in Malacca.
Wise Chef uses 100% imported butter for our tarts because of our commitment in delivering high quality products. These days, people are more health conscious and despite loving all kinds of food, they are constantly opting for healthier ingredients in them. As much as Wise Chef strives to preserve authenticity in all our products, we also want to ensure our products are real, made of high quality ingredients and natural. Our products contain no preservatives nor food chemicals. We want to produce food which we can confidently feed our children with!
Moving forward, stay tuned for more Peranakan delicacies as our Nyonya chefs bring their childhood favorite delicacies back from us to you!