Today we’d like to introduce you to Lya Samsuri.
Hi Lya, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a 28-year-old home cook from Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. I have been residing in Los Angeles since 2014 and am currently living with my fiance who is also from KL! I started Makan Buddy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 after losing my mechanical engineering job. Transitioning from engineering to cooking was a big jump but I figured I had to do something to pay the bills and Makan Buddy was born. Since the inception of Makan Buddy, a growing number of Malaysians & Singaporeans around Los Angeles & America (including Hawaii!) came together to celebrate & cure homesickness by indulging in a true homemade-from-scratch comfort food. I am proud to say that now I have a team of 5–all Malaysians!
The love & care that I put into Makan Buddy are inspired by my Mum, who is a wonderful, naturally talented home cook. Growing up in a single-parent household, we grew accustomed to simple homemade meals & my Mum had the absolute talent of making them taste very comforting. I had fond memories of her cooking breakfast, lunch, & dinner every single day throughout my childhood, despite her having a full-time corporate job.
Makan Buddy’s success is dedicated to my lovely warrior Mum.
Makan Buddy operates on a pre-order basis. We change our menu weekly, giving the people of LA more opportunities to try a variety of Malaysian favorites each week. This concept also enables fellow Malaysians in LA to reignite the familiar nostalgia that each menu item brings. We pride ourselves in offering authentic, homemade, and familiar meals. We also ship nationwide!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely lots of ups and downs, as with any business. I’ve had bad days where only a few orders came in and I’ve had excellent days where we sold out within hours. However, what’s great about pursuing a Master’s degree now alongside operating a business is that I’m able to apply the business and management techniques that I learn in the classroom into my real-life operations. This gives me a more insightful trial-and-error experience and gives me an advantage in terms of marketing lessons and business management.
We’ve been impressed with Makan Buddy, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
makan; eat/food in Malay
I am your Makan Buddy & you are mine.
I am Lya, the founder, manager, and cook for Makan Buddy. We are a team of Malaysians operating a Malaysian pop-up concept here in Los Angeles. We offer a rotating menu that changes weekly. We offer nationwide shipping as well as seven pick-up locations all over LA & OC: Encino, Glendale, Culver City, Arcadia, Long Beach, Irvine, and City of Industry every Saturday and we are hoping to offer more locations in the future once we grow. We also participate and organize multiple Malaysian-related events and gatherings, in which we would cater. Recently, as of 25 September 2021, we organized our first dinner fundraiser to celebrate Makan Buddy’s 1st year anniversary as well as to support a nonprofit NGO that is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to provide COVID-19-related relief aid to the under-served communities and underprivileged families across six states in Malaysia. By the time the event concluded, we ultimately exceeded our initial goal–Malaysians in LA got together and helped us to raise funds to help 90 Malaysian families instead of the initial 60!
What sets us apart from the other Malaysian businesses in LA is that we are able to cater to the real Malaysian palate, serving food and drinks that stem from a long line of family recipes. My style of Malaysian cooking is very traditional Malaysian; it is called “agak-agak”, meaning “guesstimate”. So if you ask me about my measurements, I would not know how to answer you, haha! My team members and I are all from different parts of Malaysia, so we make it a point to highlight popular dishes from the different regions of Malaysia to give our customers a familiar, nostalgic taste of home. Thanks to the melting pot of cultures and food mecca that is Los Angeles, we are fortunate and proud to be able to source a majority of our ingredients locally.
We pride ourselves in not taking shortcuts when preparing the Malaysian dishes that we put on our menu. Our goal is to offer an accurate representation of the Malaysian palate, made proudly by Malaysians in LA.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
The beauty about Malaysian food is that it is varied and hard to define as a singular thing. Looking back at our colonial history and geographically location within Southeast Asia, we have influences from across the region. Many who would eventually settle in Malaysia infused their food with spices and ingredients from their home; thus Malaysian food was born. Hence, it is this combination of Indonesian + Chinese + Indian influences and flavors that truly makes our food unique and unparalleled, as documented by many creatives and foodies all around the world, proving that Malaysian food is unlike any other. As such, we’re hoping to have an impact on the LA food scene the same way the traders and travelers of yesteryear had on the evolution of Malaysian food.
And as any Malaysian would tell you, the best way to understand us is to experience it with your palate; we guarantee your tummy will be smiling.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.makanbuddyofficial.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/makanbuddyofficial
- Facebook: facebook.com/makanbuddyofficial
Image Credits:
Makan Buddy Official
