New Year New Look!
Hello, friends! We're very excited to show you our new look for 2018. You might have noticed our brand new logo here and on our Instagram page. We had the opportunity to collaborate with local Penang artist and designer Nicholas Choo, who's worked with the George Town Festival and done some great work in both visual arts and design at Grafik District.
There's More to Food than Just the Taste
Growing up in Penang is an enriching gastronomical experience. There are so many unique and diverse flavours influenced by East and West, but it's easy to take this gift for granted. In the case of our co-founder and host, Danny Mahes, delicious food was simply a fact of life. It wasn't until he had the chance to explore the history and cultural identity of Penang that he realised our food is a big part of who we are and where we come from.
Every Recipe has a Story
Why is Penang's food consistently rated one of the best in Asia and the world? Danny believes that it is more than just what it looks, smells or tastes like. When we cook here, we aren't using techniques or recipes learned in schools or academies. For many of Penang's street food vendors, knowledge has been passed down across generations. Many of them started selling local fare decades ago as a means to make a living, feed their families and sometimes to escape poverty.
Coming from ethnic South-Indian origin, Danny grew up in the village of Kampung Benggali, buoyed by a carefree village kid's life and the smells of rasam and fried fish wafting from his grandmother's kitchen. It was simple but nutritious and satisfying fare.
Many of the dishes that grace the covers of international travel magazines and brands have similar humble origins. Think char koay teow, laksa or any of Penang's now famous street food - they started out as ways for people to make the best of sometimes very difficult circumstances. Despite the glamour of international renown, many of the vendors and the food they make retain a strong sense of their history and humbly accept the attention being showered on them.
The Best Way to Eat and See Penang
It's these stories that make Penang's food so beautiful and amazing to us. The story of Penang is a story of migration, survival and diverse communities learning how to live near and learn from each other. These amazing journeys may not be written down, but they can be found in the dishes we eat every day, if you know how to look.
We wanted all of this to be represented in our new logo and to show you why we're passionate about what we do. For Danny, Penang's food is an important part of its ongoing story. It's a tale that weaves together families, communities and nations. It's a way for us to show you who we are, what matters to us and why we love Penang so much.
And to us, that is the best way to eat and see Penang.