Ep 15: Yi Jun Loh - Malaysian Food Blogger, Writer & Podcaster

Yi Jun Loh is a Malaysian food blogger at Jun & Tonic
(nominated for the Saveur Blog Award 2018), a food writer for
TASTE, Saveur & Food52 & podcaster for Malaysian’s
national radio channel BFM (Baking Bread) & his own podcast,
Take a Bao. 





If you’ve ever wondered how you can break into the Malaysian food
industry, then this is the podcast episode for you!





Who is Yi Jun Loh?


Now you would’ve expected for one in the creative industry, that
Yi Jun always had a deep love of food & pushing the
boundaries of what he can do. But that was not the case.





While completing his engineering degree at Cambridge University,
he ended up rooming with a friend, Andrew, who brought him into
the world of food. Cooking elaborate dishes in their shared
kitchen awakened the chef in him. An awakening that led him to
consider breaking the convention upon graduation. 





Rather than taking on an engineering or consulting job, why not
give Le Cordon Bleu a go?





Le Cordon Bleu & Blue Hill at Stone Barns


In this STIMY episode, Yi Jun shares his experiences:


Studying at Le Cordon Bleu & whether he thinks every food
aspirant should attend the school;

Why he chose to starge at Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone
Barns restaurant at New York; and

What he learned from working in a professional kitchen &
alongside farmers growing unique strains of crops.






Returning home to Malaysia


After his working stint in the US, Yi Jun returned to Malaysia
and worked to establish himself in the Malaysian food scene. He
shares


How he first started writing for Food52 & the process of
pitching to such publications;

How he ended up hosting BFM’s food channel, Breaking Bread;

His favourite episodes & why that stood out for him;

How he comes up with the quirky recipes found on his blog,
Jun and Tonic; and

How he eventually started his own podcast, Take a Bao, and
the challenges behind producing investigative food episodes.






Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhycom/15