{
  "id": 7013255,
  "title": "From dishwasher in Melbourne to heading the kitchen at Gilda in George Town, a Malaysian (food) love story",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/from-dishwasher-in-melbourne-to-heading-the-kitchen-at-gilda-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-12T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/09/13/from-dishwasher-in-melbourne-to-heading-the-kitchen-at-gilda-in-george-town-a-malaysian-food-love-story/234862"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ahmad Soffian Salim, a Malaysian with a background in mechanical engineering, began his culinary journey in Melbourne, Australia over a decade ago. After meeting his future wife Aim Aris, who was studying there, Ahmad took a job as a kitchen assistant in a restaurant near their home. It was during this time that he discovered his passion for food and the quality of local produce in Melbourne. Despite initially planning to stay in Melbourne for just two years, Ahmad stayed for eight, working his way up from kitchen assistant to line cook and eventually becoming head chef at an Australian restaurant in five years' time.\n\nThe couple's eight-year stay in Melbourne allowed Ahmad to gain extensive experience in various kitchens, learning on the job as he pursued his culinary interests. After working up to head chef, Ahmad and Aim decided to take a year off to travel and set up pop-up kitchens in various countries, including Jakarta, Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand. However, the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to halt their travel plans.\n\nWhile stranded in Penang during the lockdown, Ahmad and Aim were approached to help plan a restaurant menu as a consultant. This opportunity led to a nine-month residency at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown, where they gained valuable experience working as a chef in Malaysia. Their most recent project was developing the menu for Peninsula House, a new restaurant in Penang, which opened on October 25 last year. Ahmad and Aim now oversee the restaurant's operations, while it also serves as a platform to showcase artworks from Ahmad's friend and art collector Leong KY.",
  "summary": "GEORGE TOWN, Sept 13 — Before he was brining chicken and making coconut milk-laced romesco at Gilda Restauran...",
  "key_points": [
    "Ahmad Soffian Salim, Malaysian engineer, started culinary career in Melbourne, Australia",
    "Married Aim Aris, worked as kitchen assistant, rose to head chef in 5 years",
    "Residency in Kuala Lumpur led to Peninsula House restaurant opening"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "From dishwasher in Melbourne to heading the kitchen at Gilda in George Town, a Malaysian (food) love story",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/from-dishwasher-in-melbourne-to-heading-the-kitchen-at-gilda-in",
        "published": "2026-09-12T23:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}