The popular adage states that “Necessity is the mother of invention”. However, in the case of COOKHOUSE – the latest cloud kitchen concept fuelled by a fully equipped commercial shared kitchen, private kitchens, co-working and cooking events space — “Ingenuity is the mother of invention”.
You’ve heard of co-working spaces but have you heard of co- cooking spaces? Introducing the latest revolution in the Food & Beverage scene (F&B) with the unveiling of this original concept stemming from Huen Su San, owner of Glasshouse at Seputeh’s brilliance.
Coming from a background steeped in extensive experience in F&B spearheading 10 Korean eateries and running an events space extraordinaire in the Glasshouse, she had the market in awe by recently launching the fool-proof COOKHOUSE space in a quiet and rather secluded enclave in Petaling Jaya that comes fully equipped with the latest cloud kitchen shared kitchen space. Presenting a breath of fresh and welcome good news after the long lockdown, COOKHOUSE is fully equipped with full capacity kitchens and spaces teeming with solutions for conducting full-fledged serious cook outs for on the spot delivery to customers throughout the entire Klang Valley.
This may very well be the solution for upcoming master chefs as well as new F&B startups and F&B operators who may be at the end of their rope and wit’s end in trying to keep sustaining business operations especially post MCO. Even established F&B set ups which are on the verge of calling it quits and thinking about bringing down the shutters after the long lockdown forced them to halt operations while still continuing to fork out rental and pay staffs’ salaries may very well save their business operations by perhaps considering taking up tenancy at COOKHOUSE.
Armed with a tremendous sense of foresight — even way before the unexpected lockdown had begun, Huen Su San, owner of COOKHOUSE, had envisioned the value of setting up a creative and functional space for those involved in the F&B industry. The mission is simple but profound which is to enable F&B entrepreneurs to cook up a storm in a jiffy and conduct their F&B business from scratch in an established and fully ready for-move-in utility kitchen at low cost.
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COOKHOUSE the market agrees — coincidentally arrives at an opportune time – when F&B businesses are compounded with the crisis of now recovering from the long lockdown forced upon by the Covid-19 pandemic when, not in operations for months – has led to many F&B outlets on the brink of closure without any streams of income coming in from diners. This has also led to a situation whereby even long time F&B operators are thinking of pulling down the shutters. Amazingly, the double-edged sword of opportunity and blessings has also reared its head – as given the long lockdown, many have turned to the kitchen as a source of solace and consolation. Many a master chef have been born as food is being increasingly viewed as a sought-after and most essential item for survival. The lockdown in this sense has also spurred on the much sought-after food delivery services so the learning curve for food delivery is cut short.
All these factors combined has seen a quick and long waiting list emerging for COOKHOUSE post the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) — revealing it as a sustainable option for mature F&B operators, F&B entrepreneurs and would be F&B entrepreneurs to consider.
“The idea for COOKHOUSE came in early 2019 and all the renovations were completed before the Movement Control Order (MCO) lockdown begun on March 18, 2020. We are happy to report that the COOKHOUSE is now operational. This concept was built upon the idea of providing support to F&B entrepreneurs – whether they have an online business or want to operate their own restaurant or delivery services,” says Huen.
Sharing how this idea came about from her very own experience being in F&B for over five years, she shares that the aim of creating COOKHOUSE revolves around trying to assist F&B entrepreneurs in cutting short their learning curve when they are kickstarting their F&B business. This is achieved by assisting them to start out with a low cost instead of having to invest in a comprehensive range of kitchen equipment and facilities which are already readily available at COOKHOUSE – including the latest gadgetry and cooking utensils and huge storage space — taking away the hassle of high cost and providing easy convenience to make it conducive or F&B operators to conduct their businesses.
At the heart of COOKHOUSE is the Cloud Kitchen in which there is no need for F&B entrepreneurs to invest huge sums into building a fully equipped kitchen for delivery, packing and packaging of food to their customers.
The aim is to support startup F&B entrepreneurs to start off their business at a low cost, so that they can grow organically. The option to rent is a viable start till they get larger as COOKHOUSE’s commercial grade kitchen is able to support small and volume cooking with its comprehensive range of facilities.
According to Huen, other services available at the COOKHOUSE include helping to fashion the F&B menu as well as assisting the F&B entrepreneurs establish their own website plus accompanying events and marketing blitz. There is even a photography studio within the space for the food to be photographed for marketing purposes.
“Tenants at COOKHOUSE can grow their F&B businesses organically. The option is already there for F&B entrepreneurs to rent the space at COOKHOUSE. In this sense, we are able to support small businesses till they get larger. Adopting a co-working space concept but for an F&B business setting – COOKHOUSE is equipped with comprehensive commercial grade kitchen which is able to support small and volume load cooking requirements. Cloud kitchens are also available for rent whereby even starter F&B entrepreneurs can cook and deliver via logistic partners and food delivery platforms. “We’ve done all necessary renovations at COOKHOUSE so there is no hassle needed to invest in the setup of an F&B outlet anymore. This will help new businesses especially during this risky time. The rental ranges from RM900 to RM6,000 per month – depending if it is a shared kitchen or private studio.
Backed by over five years of experience in starting her own chain of restaurants including Hanbing Korean Dessert Cafe, Shinmapo Korean BBQ, Apple Samgyupsal and Seoulnami Korean BBQ which have mushroomed into eight outlets with two central kitchens throughout the Klang Valley, Huen dreamt up the idea of COOKHOUSE long before it became fashionable for the shared working kitchen or food delivery concept to flourish to such an extent that was prevalent during the lockdown when every household hunkered down and huddled indoors in the safety of their respective four walls. Also being the owner of the famous Glasshouse at Seputeh – the first indoor garden event space unveiled in Kuala Lumpur in the fourth quarter of 2015 when it originally opened its door, COOKHOUSE similarly incorporates a sense of utilising event planning into its innovative concept to cater to a captive audience. The concept of COOKHOUSE with its shared kitchen, cloud kitchen and co-working space and cooking event space all rolled into one also makes boast of it being a top notch event space for cooking activities, F&B cookouts and takeaway deliveries to flourish.