Leaving corporate life to carry on her mum’s kuih legacy

Growing up, Yvonne Ho knew how hard her mother worked making and selling traditional kuih. She wanted a different life for herself.

She could never escape the scent of kuih in their home. Her mother, Wong How Yong, worked in the wet kitchen, while trays of kuih cooled in the living room. Even their car carried the familiar scent.

By two or three each morning, Wong was awake, preparing for another day of kuih-making and selling. Helping at the stall from young, Ho experienced the long hours and the sweat from working around steamers.

She resolved to study hard and find a corporate job. With a degree in hand, she spent a decade at a major accounting firm, then was appointed vice president of an investment company.

But about five years ago while helping fulfil orders during a particularly busy period, Ho saw how her mother was buckling under the toll of kuih-making.

“I noticed how tired and exhausted she looked. I had seen her work hard my whole life, but somehow, that day, I saw her differently. She wasn’t getting any younger,” Ho told FMT Lifestyle.

It left her wondering: what would happen if her mother could no longer carry on?

Wong, now 70, started selling kuih in 1985. She first sold from a bicycle stall in Petaling Jaya Old Town before moving into Pasar Besar Jalan Othman in the same area.

Over time, the home operation grew into Madam Yong Delight as they began supplying kuih to hotels, caterers, hospitals and more. Production moved to a central kitchen and Wong secured halal certification for the business.

“What amazed me is that my mother built all of this without many of the resources we take for granted today. There was no social media or digital marketing, and so much of the work was done manually.”

For Ho, an only child, the thought of watching her mother’s life’s work disappear was difficult to accept.

Much of the knowledge needed to run the business, including her mother’s recipes, remained undocumented. Ho knew she needed time to learn from her mother before circumstances forced her to step in.

When the pandemic resulted in dwindling orders, Ho created social media accounts and a website. Orders picked up, and customers’ praise motivated her to keep going.

“My mother has always strongly believed that the product should speak for itself. If the kuih was good and the quality was consistent, people would come back and recommend it to others.”

In February 2022, Ho left corporate life to join her mother.

“I didn’t want to be in my 50s or 60s, looking back and telling myself, ‘I should have done this’, or regretting it. I didn’t really have the courage, but I chose the path that I thought I would least regret,” said Ho, who turns 41 in November.

Wong’s feelings were mixed. “As a mother, she wanted something safer and more predictable for me. But as the person who built Madam Yong Delight from the ground up, she was happy.”

Still, working together took some adjustment. Ho wanted better systems; her mother and longstanding staff were comfortable with their current system.

Ho learnt to listen and introduce changes gradually.

Even documenting recipes required patience. Asked how much sugar or salt to add, Wong would answer “agak-agak” as decades of experience had taught her to judge by sight or touch.

But working alongside her mother, Ho shared, brought them closer and deepened her appreciation for her mother’s sacrifices.

Satisfaction also came from customers whose memories stretched back decades: one grandmother used to buy their kuih; now her grandson buys it for her.

Today, they offer over 50 types of local kuih, including Nyonya varieties. Among the favourites are kuih talam, kuih lapis, seri muka, ubi kayu and angku kuih.

Ho shared that with fewer people visiting the market and online orders growing, they closed their stall. But Wong still rises before dawn to check that each batch meets her standards.

Today, the kuih that once filled her childhood home carries a future Ho wants to be a part of.

“Ultimately, I hope we can take something that started in the wet kitchen of our family home in 1985 and build it into a business that can continue for another generation and beyond,” Ho concluded.

Visit Madam Yong Delight’s website, Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Yvonne Ho on Instagram and Facebook.

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