Makansutra founder Kf Seetoh paid tribute to the hawkers currently in New York prior to the opening of Urban Hawker in Times Square.
On Sunday morning (July 10) he posted a photo of himself along with the hawkers “over kopi meeting in New York now, discussing pre opening issues.”
The food guru was all praises for the them, writing that they have what it takes to succeed in New York City.
“I have said before, any, if not many of our UNESCO class hawkers in Singapore can make it in the Big Apple. But skills, passion, an SOP, a famous, popular brand and money, is not enough ..you need gumption, dare, galls, and determination.
Then, the world truly becomes your oyster and bows down before you and submit to your plans. They have it.”
As for his part, he wrote that Makansutra plays a consultant, management and advisory role, setting the stage for the hawkers to “light up the world makan scene.”
“I salute all you Pioneer world class hawkerpreneurs making this mark in NYC . They will talk about you in future and you will go down in our makan history,” he added, before naming the hawkers in the photo: “Sulaiman of PADI, Roy(Daisy’s Dream), Syafiq (Ashes Burnnit), Alan (Prawnaholic), Terry ( Kopifellas), Raymond (Hainan Jones Chicken Rice), Joe ( Smoking Joe), Shukor ( Manager Mamak Corner), Ah Yau n May (Mr Fried Rice), Irwin (White beehoon..Sembawang).”
Urban Hawker is set to open later this month. Mr Seetoh and the Makansutra team are with the hawkers at the moment.
There are 11 Singapore hawkers in the lineup for the new Urban Hawker food market, which will be located at 135 West 50th Street, within walking distance of Times Square in Manhattan.
Netizens, especially those based in the US or have relatives there, expressed excitement over the opening of Urban Hawker.
In November of last year, Mr Seetoh announced that his team would with Urbanspace, a US food hall operator, to open a Singaporean hawker centre in New York City.
The street-food vendors were hand-picked by Mr Seetoh himself.
Talking to TISG in January, Mr Seetoh said that the idea of this hawker centre is to emulate the new style of hawker centres that are more than the ‘old school uncle-auntie style’. He said that they look to have modern takes on foods such as burgers, nasi lemak with blue pea rice and many more.
Mr Seetoh added that seeing how the hawker stalls were to be situated in Manhattan, they aimed to bring an eclectic push to the food, “not just the old Ang Mo Kio-type of food. Hainanese meat chops, ramen and fancier things, a new style of hawker centre”, he said.
/TISG