Benny Se Teo is the co-founder of Eighteen Chefs.
Benny spent 10 years getting in and out of prison. At the age of 45 in 2005, he opened Goshen and started cooking professionally.
Benny is also the author of Honest Good Food – a book where he shares his collection of comfort food recipes that are inspired by his childhood memories and personal experiences.
In this conversation, we spoke about
- Benny’s childhood packing opium
- Why is it so hard to kick the drug habit?
- Benny’s experience working at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Foundation
- and much more!
Enjoy!
If you’ve only got 2 minutes, here’s a short video on (You Would Be Hanged But It’s 100X Better Than Sex)
- Listen to the full interview on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Click “continue reading” for the link and show notes…
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favourite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Show Notes
What did Benny learn from his trip to China to find his family roots? [0:00:59]
Benny shares story on working in an Opium den [0:05:19]
The origin of the name of ‘Eighteen Chefs’ [0:11:11]
Benny shares his first experience with illegal drugs [0:15:48]
Benny shares why is it so hard to kick the drug habit? [0:20:38]
Why is heroin so much more addictive than the other drugs? [0:23:16]
Benny shares advice on how to stay clean from drugs [0:25:56]
Benny shares his experience with getting clean from drugs [0:29:57]
Benny shares stories of his first restaurant, Goshen [0:35:40]
What did Benny from his time at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Foundation? [0:41:49]
Benny explains on the mentorship program he started for ex-offenders [0:47:25]
Why does most social enterprise keep failing? [0:51:14]
Links Mentioned
Connect with Benny Se Teo:
Facebook
Cordyceps documentary
KEK Seafood at Bukit Merah Lane 1
Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap
Da Jie Famous Wanton Noodle at Jalan Besar
545 Whampoa Prawn Noodles at Tekka Market
Fishball Story at Timbre Plus
Honest Good Food by Benny Se Teo
Thanks for listening!
And if you have any experience with anything we talked about, I’d love for you to open up in the comments.
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Also, please leave an honest review for Misfits Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.
Special thanks to Benny Se Teo. Until next time!
