Lyn Siew
Executive Director, Dynamite Genius
Text by Farrah Darma
Growing up in the restaurant industry, Lyn Siew was always instilled with the importance of taking creative risks in the inventive world of F&B. As long as she could remember, she grew up in a Chinese kitchen with a very foodie culture. Her grandparents started a Chinese restaurant, and her father is an esteemed entrepreneur in his own right.
Growing up around food was the ingredient that laid Lyn’s foundation to the work she does today, specifically running a Chinese restaurant group. “With a family of restaurant owners and a fiancé as a chef, my life is all about food.”
She was herself incorporating certain elements of her Chinese culture into her current business, especially the value of sharing good food. “I grew up with family gatherings, sharing dim sum, a common sharing dish in the culture.”
Lyn did not always know that this is where she would end up. Having studied both media and history, she went on to work in international sales in Germany. Her pivot away from media production to entrepreneurship and back into the F&B scene came from her return home to Malaysia. For her, maybe it was the case of absence makes the heart grow fonder.
“I grew up around food as a lifestyle so naturally I wanted to try something else. I wanted to do something different, away from home, away from the family business.” When she realized her family was getting older, she grew back into the F&B industry. “I decided to return to Malaysia and venture into something closer to home, what I grew up with. My thought back then was also hopefully to learn as much as I could from my parents, after all, they are pioneers in their field.” For Lyn, it was a personal decision to be closer to home that brought her back to the food industry in her mid-30s. “I have no regrets there. There’s good food and a good social life; it’s a perfect industry to be in.”
After a decade of living abroad, she admits Malaysia possesses the most diverse food culture and the most interesting concept of street food. “I wish I could see more local Malaysian dishes like Char Kuey Teow, Rendang and Nasi Lemak in European countries. It’s more universal than people think.”
Returning to Malaysia after years abroad, did not come without its myriad of challenges. “First, the restaurant industry was primarily male dominated. I was the only woman in a meeting with contractors and suppliers – the only female in the room.” Lyn did not feel any direct threat, but there was always a lingering feeling at the back of her mind that she was one of the minorities. Since her parents had already reached the peak of their career within the industry, she felt a certain expectation to live up to. She took it on her to create an epitome for the newer generation of F&B.
BrilliantC Ultimate hoop earrings; (top) BrilliantC Wave necklace; (below) BrilliantC Bond necklace On her left hand: BrilliantC Bond bracelet; BrilliantC convertible diamond ring. On her right hand: BrilliantC Unity diamond bracelet.
Looking back at her time when she first started 7 years ago, she recalls, “I was so fresh and new, I was willing to learn everything. Compared to today, I’m a lot more confident. I have the natural wisdom to make certain decisions and I’m not afraid to make risky decisions.”
As most restaurants recover from the domino effect of Covid-19, she stressed on skill to adapt fast during uncertain times. “Lots of F&B operators were shocked and we had to rely solely on takeaway and deliveries.” This is where her skills and experience as a female leader came into play. “As a leader, you need to stay strong for your team. If anything, it’s your team that feels vulnerable at the time,” she continued before reiterating the importance of being brave and calling shots that may have risks. “You’re living on the edge, so your survivor mode is being switched on.”
For Lyn however, there was also a blessing in disguise. “I’m quite fortunate. I got pregnant at the time and my maternal instincts kicked in. You realize, ‘hey you have something bigger than the pandemic’ and you just automatically become more responsible and mature about making decisions.”
As a new mother, she saw her role changing as a business owner. “Being a mom is a different ball game. I used to think work was scary or quite challenging but once you have a baby, the whole dynamic of taking risks, change.”
The new mother and entrepreneur believes in balance and applies the talent of being a mother to her team as well. “I’m quite responsible for their work and how they are and that’s how I look after them. I like to think I’ve merged them both (motherhood and work) together.”
She’s proud of her freedom to bring her daughter to work and having her daughter in one hand during calls. Motherhood has become somewhat of a higher calling for Lyn, with her work intertwined. “You realize that everything is possible once you’re a mom and nothing is really too difficult. You just become really good at multitasking, and I think you’re just a little bit less scared in making certain decisions.”
She shares that her daughter has just started experimenting with solid food and she’s excited to introduce her to caviar! “I’d like her to grow up not being fussy just like her parents, willing to try everything.”
Emulating her own parents’ generosity, Lyn has doubled down on her efforts to be kind and generous. She believes that food should be shared by all, tying it back to the concept of dim sum earlier.
“I always believe good food should be accessible to everyone. By conceptualizing Ruyi & Lyn as pork free, everyone of any race is able to enjoy good Malaysian Chinese food.” Her modern Chinese restaurant located at the center of Bangsar’s busy streets, embodies a unique design. The ambience of a sanguine oasis aims to attract new crowds to try more than just Chinese food. A multi conceptual dining space, Ruyi & Lyn also features a bespoke cocktail bar, a mezzanine area, private rooms with facilitated karaoke systems and a mammoth space of 22, 000 square feet.
Lyn’s ability to apply her creative thought process is clearly evident through the introduction of these unique concepts, “The whole idea was also to include lots of activities and entertainment. Its multi-functional nature also makes the space suitable for events and celebrations – it’s very versatile! You can have a mini concert and just let your imagination run wild in that space.”
Although the saying “don’t give up” is quite common, Lyn believes that it’s for a reason. “Whatever you do in life, as long as you don’t give up, you will be successful at some point,” she advises. Being seen as a “foreigner” after returning to Malaysia, Lyn had to deal with her many detractors who speculated that she may not last long in the industry. “Again, it goes back to notion of not giving up. Expectations will always be a heavy burden but it’s up
to you to decide how much you’re willing to carry.” Additionally, Lyn is a shrewd believer of defying societal norms usually placed on women. She points out that “Whatever I’ve done in my entire life, I’ve made a lot of decisions where its out of the stereotypical milestones, i.e., where you need get married a certain again, have a child at a certain age or even go to university at a certain age. I’ve lived a life where I believe in what’s right for me and that fulfilment from making your own decisions is something you can’t learn in schools.”
She wishes she could have been braver and more confident, especially when it came to making decisions. “I believe it’s something you learn overtime and as you learn you use the experience to fuel your confidence, it’s never too late.”
If she has one piece of advice for young women, it would be to learn to love themselves. “It all starts from the inside and everything kind of flows from there,” she responds when asked. She’d also like people to know about the time she gave a TedTalk – “that could be a fun fact about me. I enjoyed sharing my story with impressionable minds and the whole experience of putting your beliefs out there on stage is really empowering.” When asked if she’d consider doing more talks she lightheartedly responded, “and maybe I’ll eat more than friend chicken on stage next time.”
For this year, Lyn will continue to push boundaries in the food industry. “I’ll never leave the industry, I’ll always be here, with a baby in one arm and a business in the other.”
