Today we’d like to introduce you to Khim Teoh.
Khim, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been an entrepreneur since I was 24 years old operating retail gift shops in hotels and casinos in Southern California. I graduated from UC Irvine with a Bachelors in Economics and Minor in Business Management. I worked for a Top 50 Consulting firm for a year before realizing that corporate career was not for me. I had always admired my uncles and also my mom for being business owners and decided to follow her footsteps.
It was incredibly challenging when I first started as there are no specific guidelines on how to run a business. I had to just figure out things as they went along and learn from my mistakes. The toughest thing was to stay motivated and keep pressing on even when business was not turning a profit in order to stay the course. I was very fortunate to have constant support from my family and it definitely led me to where I am today.
After 15 years of operating different retail gift shops, my husband and I decided to pursue our dream of opening a Malaysian restaurant in order to share a piece of our culture in Socal. We found a location in Anaheim in 2016 and secured the lease. By November 2016, we were open for business. Seasons Kitchen USA is entirely a labor of love, my husband designed the space and converted a retail space to a kitchen and dining area that had an efficient flow just like the food shops in Malaysia. He is also the Chef and together, we came up with a small menu that offered the best hawker style dishes from Malaysia such as Hainan Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak (coconut rice with curry) and Pork Belly Char Siu & Crispy Skin Roast Pork.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When we first opened the restaurant, our biggest challenge was to make Malaysian cuisine known to the foodie community. There wasn’t a big audience for this type of cuisine as there are very few Malaysian restaurants in Southern California and a lot of people just have no idea what Malaysian food is.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Seasons Kitchen USA Malaysian Restaurant?
Seasons Kitchen is the only street food style Malaysian Restaurant here in Southern California. We are a cozy and casual restaurant close to Disneyland that serves affordable iconic Malaysian dishes such as Curry Roti, Chicken Satay, Pork Belly Noodles & Char Kwey Teow. I am the manager of the front of the house and my focus also is in corporate/event catering. My husband and I work together in managing the day to day operations and making sure the restaurant runs smoothly. We also have a pantry market that specializes in Malaysian/Indonesian/Singaporean groceries where our customers can buy from our physical location or order to be shipped online.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
We had to think quick and act fast when Covid-19 hit and we had to shut down for dine-ins. We started our own in-house delivery system that reached up to 50 miles from our restaurant in order to hustle pool orders and make our deliveries worthwhile. We also reached out to all our customers via social media or directly to rally support during this time. It’s important to adapt to the changes in our environment and work with whatever resources we have to continue the business despite its tough challenges.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.seasonskitchenusa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seasonskitchenusa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/seasonskitchenusa/posts/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aertt7lRPkU&t=1s
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/seasons-kitchen-usa-anaheim
- Other: https://seasons-kitchen-malaysian-pantry.myshopify.com
