With the memories of his childhood cravings, Phil decided to put on an apron and learn to cook. He soon discovered he had a talent in the kitchen, and more importantly, that his family and friends loved his cooking. Later, whilst employed as a mathematics teacher, Phil would spend his evenings mixing, wrapping, steaming, packing and then shooting off to the weekend markets with his stall Phil’s Dumpling Envy.

Now, with his teacher status behind him, Phil and his wife Marcie focus solely on their cooking. Dumplings were originally the main focus, with delights such as chicken, pork, vegan and braised pork belly dumplings highlighting the menu. More recently, Phil has added dishes like laksa, braised mild-chilli beef and Marcie’s creation of rocky road dessert dumplings and mango pancakes to the menu. Then came Phil’s development of a gluten-free dumpling, after talking to his customers at Eat Street Markets and discovering the huge interest in a gluten-free version, which Phil now sells online. This summer, Phil plans to introduce Singapore fried noodles and sticky braised pork belly with Chinese greens.