WELL-OILED TO COOK UP A STORM

The clanging of a ladle against a wok, shouting of food orders amid the loud chattering of customers - all this may seem like absolute chaos, but for national bowler Jomond Chia it is a “therapeutic rhythm”.

- David Lee Senior Sports Correspondent

The 25-year-old is the only child of Desmond and Jo, who run Sik Bao Sin (Desmond’s Creation), a popular second-generation Cantonese restaurant at Geylang Road.

Unlike some young adults who prefer to spend their free time with friends, Jomond - whose name is a portmanteau of his parents’ - enjoys helping out at the eatery, which is on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list.

The final-year Nanyang Technological University mechanical engineering undergrad said: “I started as early as 2013, right when it first opened. Back then, I was mostly assisting my dad in the kitchen, preparing ingredients before he cooked the dishes.

“These days, I’m more involved at the front of the house, helping my mum as the cashier and waiter.

“Despite the long hours and rush, I find a certain comfort in being part of the shop. With my parents busy running the business, and I’m busy with bowling and studies, helping out has become a way for me to spend time and bond with them. The shop feels like a second home to me now.”

Finding calm in chaos is something Chia is used to, especially since he picked a sport that sends pins flying over basketball as his co-curricular activity when he was nine.