When the Great Pandemic engulfed the world as we know it, the most vulnerable of our population, the elderly, had to be extra-cautious in keeping the virus at bay. As a result, many of us became hyper-vigilant about protecting older relatives like grandparents. It was no different for Siu Chen, matriarch to two adult daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. Chen, who is 76, was always active in the San Gabriel Valley Indonesian community since immigrating to the U.S. in 1997 from her native country of Indonesia. That is until COVID had her seeking shelter along with everyone else back in early 2020, forcing her to temporarily close her Indonesian food catering business that she ran from her house.
However, Chen is no ordinary 76-year-old grandma. As anyone who knows her will tell you, she lives to cook, and she had bigger plans than to re-open her home-based business. It wouldn’t be long for her return, but she had to lay low in the meantime.
What kept her busiest pre-pandemic was cooking meals for her church in Monterey Park and fulfilling large catering orders of her homestyle cooking reminiscent of the soulful snacks and dishes available throughout Indonesia. A typical scene in her tiny home kitchen involved catering pans brimming with turmeric rice, tofu tempeh in green chile, fried chicken, beef rendang, and spicy potatoes–the wafting fragrances transporting anyone who grew up with this comfort cuisine right back to their bustling Jakarta neighborhood, the fantastic floating market in Bandung, or even a mother’s homemade dinner in Medan, like the fare Chen’s own mother cooked for her when she grew up in the North Sumatran capital as a child.
“She makes food from all over Indonesia: Jakarta, Padang, Java,” translated Chen’s son-in-law and shop manager Johan Arifin. “Not only Medan food,” added Chen in her native tongue.