Woo Wai Leong

- Yip Jieying

8 DAYS: Every time we see you, you look different.

WOO WAI LEONG: I'm a shape-shifter lah! After MasterChef Asia I lost a lot of weight, but I’ve gained it back again. I don’t have time to work out since work is piling up; I need to manage my time. Every foodie battles with his weight. It’s an occupational hazard. I also shaved off all my facial hair. I thought a moustache looks cool, but people told me I looked like a pervert.

What are you busy with now?  I’ve had the pleasure of travelling a lot for work. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is my good friend (laughs). I did a cocktail pop-up at [local food showcase] Singapore Takeout. That was when I got to meet other chefs and hang out with them after work ’cos my stall was the only one with alcohol. They wanted booze, and we had tons of it (laughs). I’ve been to Dubai with STB to promote Singaporean food, and travelled to New York to cook with the James Beard Foundation too. I also designed three pizza recipes for [tortilla maker] Mission Foods Singapore, using their pre-made pizza crust and ingredients that are commonly found in local supermarkets, like lap cheong (Chinese sasuage) and century eggs. I’ve been focusing non-stop on collaborations and testing out new recipes. What sort of collaborations are you doing? I did a