Blood ties help businesses thrive

NESTLED amid clusters of high-rise flats in Air Itam, the four-decade-old Rifle Range Food Court in Penang has weathered the passage of time with grace and fortitude.

Its patrons come not just for the food and drinks, but for the sense of community and belonging that permeates the air.

They are greeted by familiar faces – the stall operators – who know their orders by heart and are always ready with a friendly smile or a kind word.

Umarani, 31, says her grandfather started the business selling South Indian breakfast food such as vadai and thosai almost 50 years ago with his own recipes.

Among food operators, some are seasoned veterans, while others are testaments to generational craftsmanship, with their parents passing on the business to them.

Among them is dim sum stall operator Ho Chee Pin, 38, who has been preserving the essence of the past, which is referred to as ‘kochabi’ in Hokkien.

“All our dim sum are made from scratch, so don’t expect a large variety of them each day.

“These timeless recipes are a crowd favourite; we continue to master them each day,” said Chee Pin, a second-generation owner of the dim sum business of 40 years.

Kuih seller Khaw, 65, who is fluent in Hokkien, says knowledge of the dialect has helped her to serve the localcommunity.

Along with his brother Chee Keong, 42, and their 68-year-old mother, they took over the business in 2015 after the death of their father, who had run the stall for years.

Chee Pin said they used to help their father at the stall even as children.

“After his passing nine years ago, we inherited the business due to popular demand,” Chee Pin said, while stacking up trays of steamed dumplings for customers to choose from at the food court.

Further down the bustling row, a third-generation stall specialising in various South Indian dishes such as tosai, poori, vadai, appam, tamarind rice and their renowned tomato chutney, draws the breakfast crowd.

K. Umarani, 31, said it was a business started by her grandfather.

“We are continuing the business to preserve our grandfather’s legacy.

Chee Pin, 38, (left) operates the dim sum stall with the help of his brother Chee Keong, 42, and their 68-year-old mother at Rifle Range Flats food court.

“He started the business at Rifle Range almost 50 years ago with his own recipes. These were initially handed down to my mother, and we later learnt them from her.

“Despite the early morning preparations, the business keeps the family together,” shared Umarani, who took over the business about 10 years ago.

At another corner, the enticing aroma of freshly baked kuih bahulu fills the air as 62-year-old retired police officer Shahidan Shafie remains passionate about his egg sponge cake business.

Shahidan, 62, spent RM30,000 on an oven to bake kuih bahulu fresh at his stall at Rifle Range Flats Food Court in Air Itam.

Some 20 years ago, Shahidan took a gamble and invested a considerable sum in a giant oven, which occupies half the size of his entire lot.

He took over the business full-time from his wife after retiring from the police force in 2018.

“I bought the oven for RM30,000. The oven operates using gas and it has served me well for over two decades.

“The results justified the expense; my kuih is immensely popular, especially during festive seasons.

“I started receiving a lot more orders after getting the oven,” he said.

Shahidan’s journey, however, had a challenging beginning, marked by his wife’s stroke.

“I used to sell nasi lemak for about five years before venturing into the kuih bahulu business.

“But my nasi lemak business didn’t do well and it was my wife who suggested switching to kuih bahulu, and we took the leap.

“In the beginning my wife took on the role of managing the operations, until she fell ill,” said Shahidan.

Next door is Selina Khaw Abdullah’s stall featuring a variety of traditional kuih.

The 65-year-old, who is fluent in Hokkien, found her linguistic skill to be an advantage, particularly since most of the residents in Rifle Range are Chinese.

Khaw and her husband Zulkifli Ibrahim, 66, took over her father’s business after retiring from the corporate world.

“Back in 1974, my father began operating a stall outside the then yet-to-be-constructed food court.

“Upon its completion in 1980, he started trading at the food court until I took over six years ago,” she said.

Reflecting on the decision to inherit the family business, Khaw said it felt like a disservice to let the business fade away.

“We wanted to preserve his legacy.

“My proficiency in Hokkien has not only contributed to our success but continuing the business has also benefitted many locals in the area,” she said.

Short of successors

Toon, 71, says the lack of parking spaces and traders are leaving an impact on business at the food court.Toon Koong Gek, 71, who runs a coffee stall among dozens of others at the food court, reminisced about the bygone era when the hawker centre was a hive of activity.

“In the early 1990s, we had a vibrant community with many young residents, especially from the working class, who frequented the food court for their meals.

“Nowadays, the demographic has shifted, with most of the residents being the elderly.

“The younger generation has moved away and there’s a noticeable decline in their interest to visit or set up business here,” he said.

“The limited parking space is another challenge, discouraging potential visitors from coming by.

“Due to a decline in business, several stalls have shuttered in recent years,” said Toon, who is a former chairman of the food court association.

Despite his children’s lack of interest in inheriting the business, Toon remains committed to continuing the business.

“I’ve been part of this trade for half of my life as I’ve grown accustomed to this place.

“With a monthly rental of only RM36, this space provides me with a sense of purpose, especially since it operates solely in the morning,” he explained.

Toon hopes that the authorities will allocate the unoccupied lots at the food court to new owners soon, to bring back the vibrancy of the place.

The food court, which has 146 hawker lots, and an adjacent market complex are currently under the ownership of Penang Island City Council (MBPP).

At present, the available carpark spots next to the food court are taken up by the thousands of residents living in the nearby flats.

The Rifle Range low-cost flats in Penang, built in 1969, is one of the oldest high-rise residential buildings in the state.

Called ‘Pak Cheng Poh’ in Hokkien, it was a shooting range used by the army and the police, before the government decided to build affordable housing for the urban poor there.

Comprising nine residential blocks and over 3,000 units, the flats were initially built for the urban poor.

Today, Rifle Range is considered a piece of living heritage, although with most second-generation dwellers having moved out, the flats are now mostly home to the elderly.