‘Support their passion’: Michelin star chef’s moving tribute to Sim Lim ice cream uncle calls for elderly support

Michelin star chef Andre Chiang pays tribute to Sim Lim ice cream seller Uncle Boon

In recent days, tributes have poured in for ice cream seller Ng Teak Boon, known as Uncle Boon, who died at the age of 92.

One notable tribute came from Taiwanese chef Andre Chiang, former owner of the two-Michelin-starred Restaurant ANDRE, which closed in 2018.

On Sunday (23 June), Chef Chiang took to Instagram to share about his collaboration with Uncle Boon, which led to the creation of the “Ice Cream Uncle” dessert sold at his restaurant.

He also urged the public to continue supporting “living treasures” like Uncle Boon and their passions.

Michelin star chef helped raise donations to help Sim Lim ice cream uncle

In his heartfelt post, Chef Chiang said that he and Uncle Boon had a “mutual bond” and a “relationship beyond words” from the day that they met.

“His passion for his work inspired me to create something for him — we initiated a nationwide donation drive to improve his quality of life,” he wrote in both English and Chinese.

Chef Chiang also recalled Uncle Boon telling him that he did not want any donations and that he simply wanted to sell ice cream.

“I respected his wishes, but how many ice creams could he sell in a day?” Mr Chiang pondered.

But Uncle Boon agreed to let Mr Chiang “help him sell ice cream”, and that’s how the Ice Cream Uncle dessert at Restaurant ANDRE was born.

All proceeds from the dessert were donated to Uncle Boon at the end of the year.

Urges continued support for the elderly

Chef Chiang described their collaboration as a “token gesture to raise awareness”.

He also stressed on the importance of protecting and supporting elderly workers like Uncle Boon, whom he referred to as a “living treasure”.

“We successfully sold thousands of ice creams at Restaurant ANDRE within a year and attracted many customers to support his stall near Sim Lim Tower,” Chef Chiang said.

I believe Uncle Boon will continue selling ice cream in heaven, bringing joy to everyone and spreading this piece of Singaporean culture wherever he goes.

Chef Chiang concluded his tribute by urging the public to support elderly individuals who are passionate about their work.

“I hope everyone cherishes the ‘living treasures’ around them, supports their dreams, and appreciates the beauty they bring to the world,” he wrote.

MS News has reached out to Mr Chiang for more comments on his partnership with Uncle Boon.

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Featured image adapted from @andrechiang_sg on Instagram.