When Charmaine Sng saw a WhatsApp message from her husband, Galvin Sng, that read “Dear elp” on the morning of 13 Aug 2025, she knew something was terribly wrong.
Her worst fear, that it wasn’t just a typo of “help”, was confirmed by the messages that followed, including a misspelling of “I’m losing sensation”.
As it turned out, Galvin, who had been making ice cream alone at the back of his keto-friendly dessert café Ketojiak, had suffered a stroke.
“It was black sesame. I’ll always remember that,” the 43-year-old told MS News with a laugh.
Everything had seemed normal at first. Galvin had been pouring ingredients into a churner and preparing the next batch when he suddenly felt a headache, followed by a strange “heaviness” on his left side.
“I had never experienced such a sensation before,” he said. “I quickly put the flask back into the fridge and texted Charmaine. The moment I finished texting, I couldn’t support myself anymore and just sat on the floor.”
It almost sounds like a case of divine intervention that Charmaine, 41, even noticed Galvin’s message for help.
Back then, she was working as a part-time teacher and was about to administer a test to her students.
“Usually, once I’m in class, I won’t look at my phone at all,” she explained. That morning, she glanced at her phone. Upon seeing her husband’s messages, she called 995.
Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) soon arrived to attend to Galvin. CCTV footage he later shared from Ketojiak’s former outlet near Farrer Park showed this.
Source: @ketojiak on Instagram
They rushed him to a hospital, where doctors discovered the underlying cause of the stroke. Galvin unknowingly had a congenital heart condition known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO).
The condition occurs when a small flap-like opening in the heart, which normally closes shortly after birth, does not seal completely.
While many people with PFO never experience any symptoms, the opening can sometimes allow blood clots to pass through the heart and travel to the brain, potentially causing a stroke.
In Galvin’s case, doctors believe that was exactly what happened. He has since undergone a procedure to close the defect and now takes medication as a preventive measure.
Unexpectedly, the stroke became a turning point for the business.
At the time, Galvin and Charmaine, who have been married since 2009 and have two kids, were considering moving from their cramped Farrer Park outlet to a more central space in Bras Basah.
The incident forced them to pause and reconsider their next steps. Then came a moment that felt almost too coincidental.
While visiting Galvin at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Charmaine looked out the window and noticed something unusual. She could see both the old space and the new one from his room.
“So I guess you could call it a sign,” Galvin said. “What are the chances?”
Other factors also fell into place. During negotiations with the previous tenant in July or August, the couple shared that they could only commit to a lease towards the end of the year.
“They wanted us to take over immediately, but we said we could only commit after October,” Charmaine recalled. “So we told them we’d check back closer to our preferred date, and if it was still available, we’d take it. It was still available.”
The Bras Basah location, which used to house a bakery, also ticked key boxes. It was more accessible. And being under HDB meant customers could use CDC vouchers, something Galvin wanted.
If there was one thing that nudged them out of their old space, it was a persistently faulty display freezer.
Inherited from the previous tenant, it would randomly malfunction, sending temperatures up and turning the ice cream slushy.
Fixing it wasn’t simple. The unit was built into the counter, so replacing it meant tearing down the entire structure.
Technicians tried to repair it, but nothing worked. Eventually, Galvin found himself troubleshooting it daily, even resorting to using a hairdryer to keep it running.
“I opened an ice cream shop and became a freezer technician,” he quipped.
That hands-on approach wasn’t new. As Galvin started Ketojiak as a home-based business, so he was used to doing everything himself.
Even after they opened their physical store and brought on staff, he remained the one personally churning every batch of ice cream.
His seven-day hospitalisation after the stroke changed that. With Galvin out of action, the team made the choice to step up.
Staff who had never handled production before quickly learned on the job, keeping the business running with whatever stock they had and eventually taking over the ice cream-making process.
“In hindsight, the stroke was a needed intervention,” Charmaine said. “As a business founder, it was very hard for him to let go of the process, because you don’t know whether somebody else will be as particular. And for us, if you don’t do it properly, it can affect people’s health.”
That level of precision is crucial for Ketojiak, where every flavour is carefully formulated to stay under 2g of net carbs, a requirement many of their customers rely on for medical or dietary reasons.
“So when he was totally incapacitated, seeing how the staff stepped up gave him a lot of comfort,” she continued. “It showed he could trust them and that they could rise to the occasion. That was a milestone for us, because before that, he carried everything himself.”
Since then, Galvin has trained a full-time staff member to take on ice cream production, a shift that has allowed the business to run more sustainably, even when he’s not in the kitchen.
Ketojiak’s new Bras Basah outlet officially opened in January, marking a major step up from their Farrer Park space.
While the old shop could seat only a handful of customers, the new outlet is significantly larger, with more seating, a more open layout, and, most importantly, a fully functioning display freezer.
There’s even a dedicated corner with a TV that can be curtained off, giving customers a cosy spot to gather for private meetings or catch-ups over guilt-free ice cream.
Beyond comfort, the new outlet reflects what Galvin and Charmaine always envisioned for Ketojiak: a place where people can linger, connect, and enjoy dessert together, rather than simply grabbing pints to go.
Getting here, however, wasn’t without its hurdles. The couple had initially launched a crowdfunding campaign with a goal of S$180,000, but it fell short at around S$50,000.
Under Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing model, this meant the funds were not collected, and all pledges were returned to supporters. But instead of calling it quits, they reached out directly to those same supporters and set up a second round of fundraising on another platform.
Many followed through. “We were really appreciative that people actually came back and supported,” Galvin said. “It means they meant what they said.”
In fact, the second round raised even more than the initial campaign, a clear sign that Ketojiak’s customers were genuinely invested in seeing the brand grow.
That level of support goes all the way back to Ketojiak’s humble beginnings.
During the Covid-19 period, Galvin had started on the keto diet, a low-carb, high-fat way of eating that helps regulate blood sugar levels, but struggled to find ice cream that actually tasted good and satisfied his sweet tooth.
So he began experimenting at home, using a Thermomix to mix, freeze, and re-blend his own batches until he landed on a chocolate flavour that passed the most important test: Charmaine liked it, too.
The small home-based operation soon grew through word of mouth. Customers began requesting flavours, and Galvin took it as a challenge to recreate them, keeping each one under Ketojiak’s strict 2g net carb limit.
Today, the menu is more curated, with around 12 rotating ice cream flavours at any given time.
Classics like chocolate and vanilla make regular appearances, while others come and go depending on demand.
Beyond ice cream, the café also serves waffles, crafted to the same standard with less than 2g of net impact carbs per serve so that customers can enjoy a full dessert experience without the usual guilt or regrets.
But the business has also taken on a deeper meaning. While some customers come for a low-carb treat, others rely on Ketojiak for more serious reasons. This includes managing blood sugar levels, coping with medical conditions, or navigating strict dietary restrictions.
“You wouldn’t think ice cream matters that much,” Galvin said. “But for some people, it really does.”
He recalls one customer who would regularly order mint chocolate chip ice cream for his father, who was critically ill.
“As people get sicker, there are fewer things they can actually enjoy,” Galvin shared.
The ice cream was one of the few things that brought him joy.
In another instance, a couple travelled all the way from Bukit Panjang to visit the shop. One of them was undergoing cancer treatment and could not consume sugar.
“For them to be able to sit down and enjoy waffles and ice cream together, it was a moment for me,” he said.
For Charmaine, these moments are what keep them going.
“When you experience these interactions, it gives you meaning beyond numbers,” she said. “Of course, we worry sometimes and wonder if it’s worth it. But when we think about the people who walk through our doors, the money becomes just part of the journey, not the destination.”
As long as we can keep going, these are the moments that will sustain us.
Here’s how to get to Ketojiak‘s new store at Bras Basah for your keto-friendly ice cream fix:
Ketojiak
Address: 231 Bain Street, #01-75 Bras Basah Complex 180231
Opening hours: 12.30pm – 8.30pm (Mondays – Thursdays), 12.30pm – 10pm (Fridays – Sundays)
Nearest MRT station: Bugis
And here’s a special treat for MS News readers: follow Ketojiak on Instagram and DM them the promo code <MSN> to redeem a free scoop of ice cream. Enjoy!
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Featured image by MS News. Photography by Hannah Teoh.