‘Two Hands’ tells the story of how Enoch, co-founder of Garcons, helped his apprentice, Kevan, went from a repeat offender to a chef who works hard to make an honest living.
Having been in and out of jail since he was 19, Kevan was again sentenced behind bars. While in prison, he began his fascination with cooking and aspired to become a chef.
After his release from jail, Kevan began his first placement at Nandos and stayed there for a year. Eager for more, Kevan joined Garcons in 2016 after getting to know Enoch through a mutual friend.
Garcons is a social enterprise that provides culinary training and employment to youth-at-risk, and serves affordable European fare in a hawker bar setting. The owners of Garcons, Enoch Teo and Immannuel Tee, hope that through this, youths will learn the basic skills of operating a small restaurant and run their own in future.
At Garcons, Kevan learnt earnestly on the job, and received a salary at the same time. Kevan is grateful to his mentor, Enoch (a former at-risk youth) and said, “He is like a brother to me, and coaches me in life. Because he’s been there, he gets it and guides me, giving me direction and the motivation I need to keep on going.”
A year later and with the support of Enoch and Immannuel from Garcons, Kevan opened his own eatery ‘Two Hands’ in April 2017.
Located at Holland Village, ‘Two Hands’ serves reasonably-priced modern Asian comfort food such as marbled striploin rice bowls and foie gras skewers, that are inspired by rich French classics.
“I am excited and nervous about this new outlet. This is different. A new step, I’m my own boss and I can now be a brother to others too… If it isn’t successful, I know I’ll learn something. I want people to know that there is hope, everyone can change,” said Kevan.
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Source: Asia For Good, 25 May 2017