About Makan Buddy

/makan/ : eat/food in Malay

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I am your Makan Buddy & you are mine

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We are a female minority-owned small business focusing serving authentic Malaysian cuisine in the Los Angeles area, specializing in rotating weekly menu & catering.

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Our goal is to assimilate Malaysian cuisine into the diverse & competitive Los Angeles food scene, making Malaysian food more accessible & familiar while igniting nostalgia amongst Malaysian foodies in America.

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Our chef-owner, Lya, is a 29-year-old home cook from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia & she has been residing in Los Angeles since 2014. She started Makan Buddy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 after losing her mechanical engineering job. Since the inception of Makan Buddy, a growing number of Malaysians & Singaporeans around Los Angeles & America (including Hawaii & Alaska!) came together to celebrate & cure homesickness by indulging in a true homemade-from-scratch comfort food.

The love & care that Lya puts into Makan Buddy are inspired by her Mum, who is a wonderful, naturally-talented home cook. Growing up in a single-parent household, they grew accustomed to simple homemade meals & her Mum had the absolute talent of making them taste very comforting. Lya had fond memories of her mum cooking breakfast, lunch, & dinner every single day throughout her childhood, despite her mum's full-time job.

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Makan Buddy's success is dedicated to Lya's lovely warrior Mum -- this is for you, Mum :)