Buy CNY goodies for a charitable cause from these do-good places
Looking to stock up on CNY goodies like pineapple tarts and love letters for the festive season? Instead of the usual chain stores, consider getting your snacks from setups selling these tidbits for a good cause.
8days.sg speaks to three organisations that are helping differently-abled individuals and folks undergoing rehabilitation by providing them with a platform to hone their cooking and baking skills.
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The Hiding Place
Established some 50 years ago, The Hiding Place is Singapore’s first Christian halfway house that helps at-risk youths struggling with drug addiction or past criminal records to re-integrate into society.
These beneficiaries are not required to pay for their programme. Instead, the halfway house funds itself through ways like selling pineapple tarts and CNY cookies made by its residents.
The Hiding Place’s manager, Caleb Tan, tells 8days.sg that they began their tradition of making CNY goodies around 30 years ago, and now operate from a central kitchen in Paya Lebar called Hiding Place Kitchen.
This kitchen is considered one of The Hiding Place’s rehabilitation initiatives, as Caleb explains: “Some [of the residents] are not stable or ready to re-enter society, so this kitchen becomes a programme where we can train them to handle food, cook and work together with people.”
This year, the kitchen has whipped up seven types of CNY snacks — Pineapple Tarts ($28) with made-from-scratch jam, Pistachio Sugee ($26), Almond Sugee ($25), Sugee ($20), Love Letters ($20), Prawn Rolls ($18) and Arrowhead ‘Chiku’ Chips ($12). They are also selling Muar Otah ($6) and boxes of Mandarin Oranges ($32 for 40).
These goodies can either be preordered online or purchased in-store at Hiding Place Kitchen. Online orders must be made by Feb 6, but walk-in orders will still be available on Feb 7 and 8.
Hiding Place Kitchen is at #02-01, 247 Paya Lebar Rd, S409045. Open Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm. Tel: 6483-5348. More info via their website.
Metta Cafe
Metta Cafe is one of the job training segments in the Buddhist-based Metta Welfare Association, which provides youths with special needs the opportunity to practise their F&B skills in a real-world cafe setting. The cafe operates like a regular one, serving a mix of Western and local dishes from pasta to bee hoon.
According to the association’s manager Mic Tan, Metta “trains and recruits [youths with special needs] as apprentices”, where they receive “on-the-job training in a commercial setting” by learning how to cook, bake and operate a cafe.
He adds that this eatery was specifically set up for “youths who have graduated from Metta School and are unable to be posted out, be it due to behavioural or social skill issues”. In order to further train these individuals, Mic says: “They are hired as salaried staff and tested [for proficiency]. Once they are ready, [the organisation] will help them find jobs outside and post them out”.
For CNY, Metta Cafe is selling staff-made Pineapple Tarts ($28.90) and five types of cookies: Vegan Almond ($28.90), Hazelnut ($19.90), Chocolate With Macadamia Nuts ($19.90), Cranberry ($19.90) and Cornflakes ($19.90). The cookies are available while stocks last both online and in the cafe, with no ordering deadline.
Metta Cafe is at Lvl 1 Metta Building, 32 Simei St 1, S529950. Open daily 7am-5pm. Tel: 6580-4624. More info via their website.
Dignity Kitchen
Dignity Kitchen is a food court comprising seven stalls run by differently-abled individuals. Customers can choose from a pretty large selection of dishes here, with hawker staples like nasi lemak, chicken rice, claypot rice and rojak.
The eatery’s events manager Cindy Berlandier tells 8days.sg that there are currently 85 people working at Dignity Kitchen, and “about 60 per cent of [their] current staff strength are persons with disabilities”.
Everyone hired here goes through a 22-day course, where they are trained in various aspects of running an F&B business like attending a “three-day food hygiene course, followed by theory and hands-on training”, including food prep and cooking.
Dignity Kitchen’s resident bakers have prepared eight treats for this CNY, like Dignity Pineapple Golden Ball ($16.90), Pineapple Tart ($15.90), Oat & Bran Cookies ($14.90), Melting Bangkit ($13.90), Almond Cookies ($13.90), Pneanut Royale ($12.90), Shrimp Rolls ($14.90) and an Orange Pound Cake ($39.90).
For lohei, they’re also offering Vegetarian Yusheng ($58.80) and a Non-Vegetarian Yusheng platter ($68.80), the latter served with smoked salmon.
Currently, the Pineapple Golden Balls are already sold out, but everything else is still up for grabs while stocks last.
While orders are expected to close on Feb 5, Cindy tells us that they might take orders till Feb 8 depending on stock availability. To enquire and make your purchase, e-mail Dignity Kitchen at kitchen [at] projectdignity.sg.
Dignity Kitchen is at #01 Red Building, 69 Boon Keng Rd, S339772. Open Mon-Sat 8am-3pm. Tel: 8189-7678. More info via their website.
Photos: The Hiding Place, Metta Cafe, Project Dignity
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