He started meal-prep business with dad to break Out Of poverty

Cheekies, which started off selling frozen marinated chicken breasts from a one-room flat, now operates out of a kitchen in Changi

- Hedy Khoo

Mr Nabill Shukry Iohary has been making do with less than five hours of sleep every night since he started meal-prep delivery service Cheekies in July 2021.

The 27-year-old used to juggle a full-time job and part-time studies as well, often spending three hours after work on the home-based business.

His father Iohary Ibrahim, 56, who was roped into the business, initially worked up to 14 hours daily marinating chicken in the tiny kitchen of their one-room rental flat.

Their hard work paid off and the pandemic side hustle eventually became successful enough for them to move into a commercial kitchen and employ three parttimers.

Cheekies - a fun word play on their main product of frozen marinated chicken breasts stemmed from Mr Nabill's fitness journey. He wanted to eat chicken breasts to bulk up, but found them unappetising and dry.

His father, an avid home cook, was able to whip up palatable chicken breasts by tenderising them and marinating them with black pepper and garlic powder before air-frying them.

Mr Nabill, who found them delicious, hit upon the idea to start a home-based business to sell his father's marinated chicken during the pandemic, when he noticed many home-based businesses sprouting up.

He says: "I realised there were not many choices for healthy meal prep in the Muslim market, and I felt it was a gap we could fill."

It was a promising solution, given that Mr Iohary, a private-hire car driver, was not earning enough to cover his wife's medical bills the 60-yeold has psoriatic arthritis which affects her ability to work - and their family's expenses. He has another son, 22, who is studying computer science at SUTD.

Mr Nabill used about $1,000 of his savings to start their meal-prep business, including purchasing a freezer, ingredients and packaging materials. He plans to apply for halal certification in 2025.