The Bold And The Beautiful

The food and beverage industry in Singapore is brutal – the competition is intense, there is a dearth of skilled professionals, the consumers are fickle and the burnout is all too real. For young female entrepreneurs, it can be even more unforgiving. But for plucky individuals like Gan Guoyi, Jamie Koh, and Ong LiLing, perseverance brings immense rewards.

- Joyce Huang

THE PROUD FEEDER

ONG LILING

FOUNDER, CICHETI GROUP

Opening three restaurants in the span of just five years is no easy feat, especially as a first-time entrepreneur in such a competitive F&B market as Singapore’s. But founder and co-owner of the Cicheti Group, Ong Liling possesses a selfassurance that has put her in good stead. “Because one really does get knocked down in this industry, if I didn’t have this attitude, I would have probably given up in the first year of opening.”

After moving back from London, where she studied and lived during her early 20s, Ong was missing the many “hole-in-the-wall, and unpretentious eateries that served honest-togoodness food” that she frequented there. together with her cousin and then chef at L’Operetta, Lim Yew aun, she opened Cicheti, an Italian trattoria along kandahar Street, in 2013.

“At 27, the immediate daily hurdles I faced hinged on my age, lack of experience, and that I was female,” Ong shares before recounting how she used to get walked over by contractors and senior male employees. “the first six months were the most difficult months of my life because I was not sure if we were going to make it; not even as a viable business, but as something I would be proud of and willing to put my name to.”

Adopting a “fake it till you make it” attitude, Ong drew on lessons she acquired in her previous jobs to help push through. her law training taught her not to be afraid of legalese and how to negotiate. From her time at a company that does organisational psychology, her exposure to successful people trained her to be tenacious and focus on being a specialist. and, while working for a venture capital fund, Ong realised the importance of clear communication.