“I’ve been clean but can’t get a job because of my background.”

This is a recurring grim account of many ex-offenders, who are haunted by their criminal past. Stigmas persist like the perceived threat of jeopardising workplace safety, diminishing customers, discouraging investors, and damaging the establishment’s reputation.

The term ex-offender itself breeds public antipathy. Who would want to hire an ex-offender? 

No one understands this better than ex-convict-turned-restaurateur Benny Se Teo, who opened casual café Eighteen Chefs in 2007 with the intent of helping juvenile delinquents and ex-offenders get back on their feet.  

Benny was a drug junkie. He had his first taste of pot at the age of 15. He lived the next two decades of his life getting high on heroin and other narcotics, punctuated with jail time and trips to rehab centres. He was 33 when he came to his senses and vowed to turn over a new leaf. It was an uphill climb.

Feeling hopeless from not getting a callback after six job interviews, Benny took matters into his hands with what he knows how to do best: cooking.

I first interviewed Benny in 2012. While waiting for him, I ordered the double cheese baked pasta doused in creamy mango sauce and minced beef. A whiff of sweet-tangy aroma escaped as soon as I cut through the thick layer of cheese covering the dish. It was delightful to the last bite.

What struck me most in that first – and succeeding – interview was his determination to help ex-offenders get a second chance at life.

Speaking from experience, he said, “I’ve been there. Society is unforgiving. No one will hire an ex-convict.”

Eighteen Chefs was inspired by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, a London-based mentoring restaurant that aimed to train disadvantaged youth, including those with drug or alcohol problems, the unemployed and the homeless.

Benny, the first Singaporean apprentice at Fifteen* in London, became curious when he heard about it. After reading up on it, he saved enough money to self-finance a month-long internship at Fifteen. He doggedly worked six days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. to learn Western and Mediterranean recipes, new cooking techniques and get acquainted with culinary jargon.

Reports on a Singaporean ex-convict training at Jamie’s kitchen soon hit the local media, leading to interested parties approaching him on his return home. The rest is history.

Fifteen’s slogan “Using the magic of food to transform lives” was the catalyst that shaped Benny’s vision for Eighteen Chefs: to inspire troubled youth and people with conviction backgrounds find alternative positive ways to reintegrate into society.

The burly boss is neither interested in their past nor their criminal records. He’s more interested in their future. But he asserts that they must want to change, want to integrate back to society and want to learn a skill for their future. Everyone who joins his team is trained in every aspect of the business from kitchen tasks to customer service.

Acquiring new skills and taking on responsibilities in a no-judgment environment boost self-confidence and create trust, especially more meaningful for those who have been used to being treated as outcasts most of their lives.

The co-founder and director of Eighteen Chefs gave himself a second chance when no one wanted to hire him two decades ago. As of September 2020, Eighteen Chefs operates a chain of 11 dining branches in Singapore with plans to expand beyond its borders.

The award-winning social enterprise restaurant chain has worked with other local and regional social agencies to raise awareness of and to provide a non-judgmental platform for those with criminal history realise their untapped abilities.

However, Eighteen Chefs is still a business. It needs to prosper. Otherwise, how can it help others?

Eighteen Chefs’ workforce is made up of about 50% ex-offenders and the rest are professionals with years of F&B experience that help Benny run the business. It pays everyone fair wages and benefits along with an 8-9 hours workday, regardless of their background.

This eating spot whips up a delightful spread of Western-inspired comfort food designed to suit different palates. The menu is a smorgasbord of mouth-watering appetizers, platters, salads, mains for meat and seafood lovers, burgers, desserts and drinks.

As Benny once said to me: “I don’t want sympathy. I’m selling food. I’m not selling a story.” Rather, he encourages customers to compliment the food, a small gesture that he believes will spark joy in his team.

I made a few food trips to Eigthteen Chefs over the years, even order delivery sometimes. While the reasonably priced menu changes from time to time, its recent pasta and “heart attack fried rice” dishes are deliciously filling.

This is one feel-good dining place that serves good food while serving second chances to those who seek a better path in life. Chef Benny’s inspiring story continues with the opening of The MeatHouse by 18Chefs in 2018. The halal steakhouse offers an inventive menu of premium meats inspired by international cuisines.

Debbie | ws

More info and the latest menu: www.eighteenchefs.com | All images from Eighteen Chefs website

*Editor’s Note: In December 2019, London restaurant Fifteen shut down after 13 years.