Integrating the Christian Experience in Business
By Jason Law
One couple discovers the joy and security in integrating their faith into their business.
As Malaysians, one of our favourite pastimes is to eat. For one couple, this was the starting point for their embarkation of entrepreneurship. As Jasmine, one of the proprietors of DChoo Kitchen (a popular Chinese takeaway in Ara Damansara) shares, their inspiration for starting the business was simple. ‘We like to eat,’ she casually expressed.
What makes a difference, and their story special is that as Christians, Jasmine and her husband Dih Haw have found a particular kind of joy in integrating their Christian journey into their business.
The Background of DChoo Kitchen
Jasmine explained how DChoo Kitchen found its beginnings, ‘We are a husband-and-wife team, who love eating so we also learn to cook. We started off with running a hawker stall (with big plans and big ideas like many other young people entering into F&B) but it changed when MCO happened. We had to close down the stall and pivoted to making home-cooked meal boxes.’
From the very beginning of operating DChoo Kitchen, they had already sensed the presence of God with them and a real purpose for the business. ‘God put us in this business for a reason. We were very determined to get to know one new customer by name each week,’ Jasmine shared. Dih added, ‘God told us not to worry and that He would take care of us.’
Before DChoo Kitchen and During COVID-19
Like most businesspeople, Jasmine and Dih had their fair share of challenges as well during the COVID-19 pandemic. But this series of challenges was what led to the birth of DChoo Kitchen, and a new and fresh direction for the couple.
Foremost of all, the hawker stall model they originally had in mind (run 1 stall, set the processes, hire the people, and then replicate across different coffee shops) was no longer profitable because of the SOP in place. Within a single year, they had to move kitchen up to 4 times. They also had to change their approach from a physical stall front to an online ordering model, on top of multiple changes in their menu.
Finances were a real worry, especially at the prospect of not having income at their age or investment into their savings. ‘There were months when we just wondered should we go back into full-time employment or do we continue in this journey,’ Jasmine shared. The couple had to give up their stall. ‘It was a tough decision because we invested time and effort in it.’ However, God would surprise them.
Jasmine described, ‘The month we moved out (from their stall business) our friend had a vacant basement in his restaurant – which became our cooking place for a few months. When he wanted the place back for his own use, we received news that colleges were going to start classes (this was back in Oct 2020) and we moved to Setapak – which was our original expansion plan. However, MCO 2.0 hit, and the colleges went back into online classes and we were left in a limbo again. But then, out of seemingly no way to turn, God opened doors for us to cook from home – that’s where we are until now.’
Faith as Foundation
As Christians, Jasmine and Dih knew this time that for their business to succeed, especially for a fresh start in such a challenging environment as the food industry, they had to lay their foundation and trust in God.
‘When we started DChoo Kitchen,’ Jasmine reminisced, ‘we started reading the Bible together from Genesis as a couple. Each of the books related to us so real in the different seasons of our entrepreneur journey. We have learnt that strategies and plans are human-made, but ultimately in this largely unknown future, it is God who leads and provides. We need to be humble to listen and patient to wait on God (even more when it’s tough – only God knows the tears and worries!)’
Dih imparted, ‘Throughout the journey, we were reminded of how the Israelites left Egypt into the promised land. It felt so real to us – the struggles, the complaints, the insecurity, the doubts, the what-ifs, the how-I-wish, the am-I-doing-the-right-thing. God reminded me not to be like them.’
The start of the new journey was no doubt daunting, but God surprised them many times. ‘There were days when we had super low orders, but somehow at the last minute, God would provide for us in the form of last-minute orders from people that we didn’t know!’ The couple quickly learnt to rely on the Lord, not planning and telling Him what they had in mind, but instead to really wait upon Him; to hear Him, and to do what He says.
Assurance from God
God taught them many things in this new business, among others in finding gladness and contentment. ‘God told us many times not to worry; that He will provide. Often, we expect the providing to be in the form of a lot of money, but throughout the months when we were waiting on God, He showed us to appreciate what we have. He reminded us that what we have is given by God (the ability to cook, the time to cook is all given by God). God reminded us that what we have (the little at times), is given by God and we should use it to bless others.’
Jasmine and Dih would have remarkably heartwarming experiences as well. ‘Just recently, we came across a customer-turned-friend where the decision to order a takeaway meal for the family was a special treat. It touched our hearts and we told God, we don’t have much financially, but we can cook and bless this family with a meal a week. Little did we know, a sponsor came along, and wanted to bless the family with a meal a week. One thing leading to another, within 3 weeks, we matched 3 sponsors to 3 families. DChoo Kitchen has allowed us to get to know 3 families that we wouldn’t have the chance to on a normal day. But more than that, we are being blessed ourselves with this newfound purpose of what we do amid this COVID-19 black hole.’
The Value of Christian Fellowship
Jasmine and Dih shared that one of the things that gave them the most encouragement and hope was the fellowship of their Christian friends and loved ones. Sharing the recollections, Jasmine narrated, ‘Our cell group members were our ears as we shared our journey. They kept us in prayers and checked on us regularly. Many church members tried our food and shared it with their friends too. We were touched by the effort that they put in to arrange for group-buys and encouragement to cheer us on!’
The friends were even concerned enough to provide advice for the new business. ‘We learnt that it’s important to hear feedback and work on constantly improving ourselves. One of our church friends who orders our food regularly gave the idea of reusing food containers (to save the earth) and passed us a stack of containers that we can use for each food delivery order. It took a while to get used to it – getting a proper box to store the containers, labelling it with the customers’ names, keeping track when containers are running out ,etc… but as we started doing it, other customers started ordering from us just because we allowed for containers to be reused. Wow, talking about God opening doors!’
Having been blessed themselves, Jasmine and Dih also found the pleasure of passing on blessings to others through the new business. The aforementioned three families being connected to three sponsors was one example. But it would be something broader than that; it was an opportunity for them to be authentic and caring Christian neighbours.
‘By being observant to people around, not only people within the church, we can be salt and light to our communities. As we started this F&B journey and our initial goal of getting to know one new customer each week by name, we learnt that we need first be able to share our lives with others, before they will be interested in the God we believe.
‘It is easier said than done; we had never known our neighbours before this, despite staying here for more than 5 years, not until we moved our kitchen back home. These days we intentionally cook extra and ring their doorbell to get to know them.’
The couple even offered light-heartedly but sincerely, “If you are interested to know where we live, contact us, you might get free food from time to time.’ Overall, DChoo Kitchen has brought much joy and meaning into the couple’s life.
New Hope as Entrepreneurs
The couple expressed, ‘If you were to ask us what our hopes are as entrepreneurs, our honest answer would be that we don’t have any big hopes. It is living day by day with God. There are too many uncertainties with this ongoing pandemic. We have seen God opening doors for us and we run along. We’ve also been in a dark never-ending tunnel where we learn to wait on God.’
‘It is hard work, the hours are long, the hardships are unspoken, the heartaches are real. But if it’s a challenge you want to take up, journey with God. It is impossible to do it by yourself,’ Jasmine summed up.
