If you have yet to read Part 1 of the story with our chef advocate Anthony Cheung, where we recount how he came to know r é n and his FOOD+FILM experience with us, click here.

Following the success of the FOOD+FILM night with us, chef Anthony hoped to dive deeper into our mission, and soon he began brainstorming with our founder Jo Soo Tang. The result was a r é n teen Pasta Series, where members of our R21 programme help teach participants how to make pasta from scratch.

“After our first collaboration together, I looked into hiring some of the kids from r é n,” chef Anthony recounts. “Jo suggested that we find some opportunities to work together with them first, and we also wanted to find a way to raise some money, so we ultimately settled on the idea of the r é nteen Pasta Workshop.”

Once the plans were set in place, chef Anthony began training our R21 members, teaching them how to make pasta and developing them into his helpers. Since its launch, the workshop has seen various corporate teams as well as families and friends come in to learn how to make their own pasta.

“It’s been really fun, and eventually I bought a few pasta machines, and we even started making colourful dough to make into coloured pastas,” he says. “I think the programme is great because it allows our kids to meet more people from the outside world, and at the same time provides an opportunity for the outside world to also get to know the R21 kids and understand them, all whilst raising funds for r é n. It’s just a great idea.”

In fact, chef Anthony loved the experience so much that he ended up hiring one of our R21 members, Chi Wing. Having completed her vocational training at Casa Cucina, she now works at the restaurant with Anthony, helping out with all kinds of duties.

“When Chi Wing was here for the pasta workshops, she was really open and talked a lot, and we even gave her the nickname Chicken Wing because she loved eating them so much,” chef Anthony tells us with a laugh. “But on her first day here, she came in with her dad and she behaved very differently. She was very timid at that time, and I was a little worried.

“It took her a few days to open up and get comfortable, but over time, she warmed up to us, and she became the Chi Wing we saw during the pasta workshops again. She’s very open and sociable, and she’ll talk to our guests, especially the children. Sometimes when she’s happy, she’ll even dance around the restaurant, and it creates a really great atmosphere both for our staff and our guests. She’s also a fast learner, and she anticipates the next steps. We started off asking her to set up tables and fold napkins, but now she does basically everything a waitress would do, and more.”

Chef Anthony adds that his experience with Chi Wing is a good example of how some of our beneficiaries might be afraid of new environments when they first start somewhere, but with time, they become much more comfortable and confident.

“If you keep nurturing them and giving them opportunities, they’ll find a sense of purpose in their work, and they’ll open up and do very well,” he shares. “It’s great to see them find themselves through our work, and I think it’s a great partnership that we have with r é n. I’ve always wanted to reach out to the community and give something back, and with you guys, I can finally do that.”