Kyo Pang with Kopitiam

Kyo Pang is the Chef-Owner of Kopitiam, a Malaysian restaurant located on the Lower East Side in NYC. Kyo has been named Eater's Best Chef of the Year in 2018 and was a semi-finalist for Best Chef: New York City in 2019 from the James Beard Foundation.Kopitiam, despite its accolades and critical success, is not an overnight sensation. In fact, before reopening in 2018 in its current location; it existed as a hole-in-the-wall stall in Chinatown that eventually had to close due to a drastic rent hike.In this episode, we discover Kyo's upbringing in Penang, Malaysia, growing up in a family restaurant business, early discriminations she faced while working in NYC as a bartender and club promoter, to the eventful meeting with her current business partner, Moonlyn Tsai, to open Kopitiam 2.0.