KUALA LUMPUR: Muar-born food entrepreneur Justin Yip has taken discerning Italian palates on a gastronomic journey with Malaysian and Asian dishes on his food truck in Turin, Italy.
At Sate & Sake, regulars can find Malaysian dishes such as satay and curry, as well as Vietnamese sandwich.
‘You can expect friendly and fast service just inside the grounds of the Politecnico di Torino, where I operate at lunch time during the weekdays,’ Yip, 32, told the New Straits Times.
‘I have only three things on the menu - satay with rice, cucumber and peanut sauce; rice with rendang; and bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich),’ said Yip, who attended the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pedmont, Italy.
Yip, whose parents live in Melaka, said the menu started with the satay dish.
‘A few months later, I added the curry dish to the menu and finally the bánh mì. I decided to include bánh mì because it was a familiar (sandwich) format that would introduce Italians to Southeast Asian flavours,’ he said, adding that weekly lunch specials included beef kurma, Thai green curry, beef asam pedas, beef masak merah and beef masak lemak.
Yip, who is the main chef, employs a non-Malaysian full-time employee to asssist in the kitchen.
‘Neither of us had professional training or experience in the food industry. The flavours are authentic to Malaysians, but I make allowances for ingredients I find here and those in season.’
Yip said he reduced the spiciness in the food and did not add much sugar to the satay marinade or peanut sauce.
His passion for food entrepreneurship began when he was working for an Italian-based start-up specialising in organising gastronomic trips to Japan for European chefs and journalists.
‘I became fascinated with sake and obtained qualifications as a sake sommelier. Italians pair certain wines with certain food, so it was natural for me to think of ways to pair Malaysian food with drinks.
‘My past experiences were my inspiration.’
Yip said he sought help of a local business consultant, who knew the workings of Italian bureaucracy.
‘I applied for a mobile food licence and started operating on June 16, 2017.
‘I fully own the business. An auto company modified the classic Italian Piaggio Ape into a mobile food truck to meet the required standards set by the local health and safety authority.’
Although the concept of street food is new to northern Italy, he said many Italians viewed the combination of satay and sake with interest.
‘They are well aware that sake is not (a) Malaysian (drink), but that does not put them off. A food truck is unconventional in itself, so my customers are open to new experiences,’ he said.
‘I think Malaysians will be scratching their head at this (satay and sake) combination. They can be just as protective of our food culture as the Italians!’
For Yip,food is an organic concept that should not be confined to a rigid understanding.
‘Food is a culture that is ever changing,’ he said, adding that his business caught the attention of the locals as food trucks in Italy catered mainly for special events and festivals.
Yip said he had no plans to expand his menu at the moment because the truck had limited space for food preparation.
‘These three food items are selling well,’ said Yip, whose food truck business had been featured in local newspapers.
He recalled the time when Malaysian Ambassador to Italy Datuk Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, together with several embassy staff members from Rome, including a representative from the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation from Milan, visited Turin and Genoa on Nov 22.
‘They visited the University of Turin and the Petronas Lubricants International office in Turin. In between meetings, the ambassador came for lunch at Sate & Sake outside the Politecnico di Torino,’he said.
‘He took a real interest in my business and wanted to try some of my food.
‘He was curious to know more about a Malaysian food business here because Italians are not known for loving non-Italian food,’ he said, adding that he served chicken satay and beef rendang (the weekly special) to the ambassador.
‘I was touched that the ambassador and his staff visited my humble food truck. They were genuine in wanting to support young Malaysian entrepreneurs like me.
‘I felt that my 2½ years of hard work had finally paid off!’
As Malaysia geared up for Visit Malaysia Year 2020, Yip said, he shared the many attractions in his home country with his customers.
‘I have had a few Italian students asking me for recommendations on places to visit in Malaysia.
‘I believe once people appreciate and love Malaysian food, the next logical step is to go directly to the source.’