From Shah Alam’s fusion of local cuisines to the vibrant food scene in Singapore, Mohd Nazli Mohd Nawi’s passion to become a culinary maestro had just taken a new height. Raised and born in a family with compelling histories and interests in culinary, Nazli’s dream to express his fine talent is materialised through his profession now as an executive chef at Meokja, a renowned halal and authentic Korean restaurant located near Dhoby Ghaut. Little did he know that his passion for creating remarkable dining experiences had driven him to leave his comfort zone and challenge himself to learn from the best abroad.
Armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts from Management and Science University (MSU), he currently oversees preparatory standards, talent management and quality-checking to ensure the overall satisfaction of the consumers. Prior to his latest career development, Nazli had been busily acquiring experiences through his services at a few other restaurants which had significantly stimulated his expertise in kitchen management.
“Meokja was established in 2021 by a Singaporean couple who specialises in Korean dishes. The owner, who used to be a cook at a restaurant in Incheon, eventually decided to kickstart his venture with his life partner in Singapore to feature Halal Korean dish options for the local community due to the rising demands for such cuisine. I was a sous-chef at one of the local restaurants in Malaysia before upskilling myself at Meokja,” Nazli explained about the path he had taken since his graduation.
The recipes behind Meokja’s success? Well, as one might have imagined, lies in its recipes used to only serve the customers with the finest, carefully selected and high-quality ingredients. Some of the signature dishes featured by Meokja include Jjamppong and Jjajjang, which always stay on top of the menu. Other specialities also include set meals options, savoury kimbap and rejuvenating bibim guksu.
“Despite my dedication to highlighting Korean cuisine, I would personally say that Japanese and French cuisine are my go-to passion if I were to be given a chance to start my own brand in the future. To be honest, every cuisine presents its own unique attributes and tastes to cater to various preferences and worldwide consumers hence, to simply say one cuisine is better than the other is quite unfair,” Nazli added as he humbly reimagined his standalone future establishment and laid his opinion over a variety of cuisines.
Even with Nazli’s all-out passion for culinary arts and relentless dream to emerge as a future foods and beverages (F&B) pioneer, it was not easy for him to become who he is today. He briefly swivelled from chasing his dream during his diploma years as he had to undertake a different programme. This, however, changed when fate brought him back to the desired path with a culinary study at MSU. For Nazli, the challenges and uncertainty he faced during his academic years had just made him stronger and MSU was there to support him at all times.
“Life has presented me with many unexpected twists and turns. But I managed to get back on my feet and MSU has become my growth platform all those years. Being able to bring myself into a whole different organisational environment in Singapore signifies acquired adaptability to oncoming challenges. Plus, the affordable tuition fee, humane approach to its syllabi and conducive learning environment further enriched my learning experience with all MSUrians. I do reconnect occasionally with my peers during varsity years even until now, especially with those who I knew from Kelab Penyayang MSU,” he reaffirmed.
Kelab Penyayang MSU is one of the many student clubs and associations which focuses on humanitarian movements and community impact empowerment established by MSU and facilitated by various faculties and the Student and Career Development (SCD) department. In Ramadan 2024, Kelab Penyayang MSU undertook ‘Ramadan Sustenance Project 2024’ to share the happiness of the upcoming Eid along with other social impact associations at MSU such as Yayasan MSU and #MSUcares.
Leaving his legacy to inspire next-gen culinary experts, Nazli etched his remarkable achievements onto his learning experiences as a Dean’s List awardee for every semester, a President’s List Awardee and substantial involvement in various competitive culinary arenas. He believes that challenges sharpen one’s senses and improve one’s perspectives in seeking solutions. Leaning his current position to that of a managerial role, Nazli conforms to good talent and emotional management practices to ensure productivity as a team.
“I will always maintain my composure and undertake my responsibilities seriously. Talent management, empathy and interpersonal approach become the cornerstone to ensure the objectives are met. Learning should never stop as long as we live. It was part of my reason for working abroad in Singapore. I believe that this presents me with an abundance of opportunities to learn, grow and achieve my goals,” Nazli described himself and his guiding principles that excelled his professional development.
From Shah Alam’s fusion of local cuisines to the vibrant food scene in Singapore, Mohd Nazli Mohd Nawi’s passion to become a culinary maestro had just taken a new height. Raised and born in a family with compelling histories and interests in culinary, Nazli’s dream to express his fine talent is materialised through his profession now as an executive chef at Meokja, a renowned halal and authentic Korean restaurant located near Dhoby Ghaut. Little did he know that his passion for creating remarkable dining experiences had driven him to leave his comfort zone and challenge himself to learn from the best abroad.
Armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts from Management and Science University (MSU), he currently oversees preparatory standards, talent management and quality-checking to ensure the overall satisfaction of the consumers. Prior to his latest career development, Nazli had been busily acquiring experiences through his services at a few other restaurants which had significantly stimulated his expertise in kitchen management.
“Meokja was established in 2021 by a Singaporean couple who specialises in Korean dishes. The owner, who used to be a cook at a restaurant in Incheon, eventually decided to kickstart his venture with his life partner in Singapore to feature Halal Korean dish options for the local community due to the rising demands for such cuisine. I was a sous-chef at one of the local restaurants in Malaysia before upskilling myself at Meokja,” Nazli explained about the path he had taken since his graduation.
The recipes behind Meokja’s success? Well, as one might have imagined, lies in its recipes used to only serve the customers with the finest, carefully selected and high-quality ingredients. Some of the signature dishes featured by Meokja include Jjamppong and Jjajjang, which always stay on top of the menu. Other specialities also include set meals options, savoury kimbap and rejuvenating bibim guksu.
“Despite my dedication to highlighting Korean cuisine, I would personally say that Japanese and French cuisine are my go-to passion if I were to be given a chance to start my own brand in the future. To be honest, every cuisine presents its own unique attributes and tastes to cater to various preferences and worldwide consumers hence, to simply say one cuisine is better than the other is quite unfair,” Nazli added as he humbly reimagined his standalone future establishment and laid his opinion over a variety of cuisines.
Even with Nazli’s all-out passion for culinary arts and relentless dream to emerge as a future foods and beverages (F&B) pioneer, it was not easy for him to become who he is today. He briefly swivelled from chasing his dream during his diploma years as he had to undertake a different programme. This, however, changed when fate brought him back to the desired path with a culinary study at MSU. For Nazli, the challenges and uncertainty he faced during his academic years had just made him stronger and MSU was there to support him at all times.
“Life has presented me with many unexpected twists and turns. But I managed to get back on my feet and MSU has become my growth platform all those years. Being able to bring myself into a whole different organisational environment in Singapore signifies acquired adaptability to oncoming challenges. Plus, the affordable tuition fee, humane approach to its syllabi and conducive learning environment further enriched my learning experience with all MSUrians. I do reconnect occasionally with my peers during varsity years even until now, especially with those who I knew from Kelab Penyayang MSU,” he reaffirmed.
Kelab Penyayang MSU is one of the many student clubs and associations which focuses on humanitarian movements and community impact empowerment established by MSU and facilitated by various faculties and the Student and Career Development (SCD) department. In Ramadan 2024, Kelab Penyayang MSU undertook ‘Ramadan Sustenance Project 2024’ to share the happiness of the upcoming Eid along with other social impact associations at MSU such as Yayasan MSU and #MSUcares.
Leaving his legacy to inspire next-gen culinary experts, Nazli etched his remarkable achievements onto his learning experiences as a Dean’s List awardee for every semester, a President’s List Awardee and substantial involvement in various competitive culinary arenas. He believes that challenges sharpen one’s senses and improve one’s perspectives in seeking solutions. Leaning his current position to that of a managerial role, Nazli conforms to good talent and emotional management practices to ensure productivity as a team.
“I will always maintain my composure and undertake my responsibilities seriously. Talent management, empathy and interpersonal approach become the cornerstone to ensure the objectives are met. Learning should never stop as long as we live. It was part of my reason for working abroad in Singapore. I believe that this presents me with an abundance of opportunities to learn, grow and achieve my goals,” Nazli described himself and his guiding principles that excelled his professional development.