Hello everyone, my name is Marcus Ho, a 34-year-old Chef & Cafe Owner in Singapore.

I became a chef because I loved creating foods that made people feel good. That feeling of watching someone enjoy a dish I crafted — it was like magic. For years, that passion kept me going through long shifts and late nights.

But when I opened my own cafe, things changed faster than I expected. Instead of creativity, my days became filled with supplier calls, staff issues, rent stress, online reviews, and endless paperwork.

I was cooking, but I wasn’t creating anymore. I started waking up tired, already thinking about problems before the day even began. I wasn’t unhappy — just disconnected.

I felt like I was running a kitchen without being there. One afternoon, a regular customer told me about Pop Institute Pte Ltd. He said the workshop helped him clear the noise inside his head.

That line stayed with me. A week later, I signed up without telling anyone.

My First Experience at Pop Institute Pte Ltd

When I arrived, the room was simple. No ego, no pressure, just people from different backgrounds — office workers, parents, creatives, retirees.

Everyone looked tired in their own way, but also hopeful.

During one of the sessions, the mentor asked simple questions. I don’t know why, but the answer came out instantly: “I used to love cooking.”

It wasn’t emotional or dramatic. It was just honest — and I hadn’t been honest with myself in a long time. People didn’t try to give advice. They simply listened, and their calmness made me slow down inside. For the first time in months, I felt like I wasn’t being pulled in ten different directions.

What Changed After Pop Institute Pte Ltd

The workshop didn’t give me a business strategy or kitchen tips. It gave me something better — space.

• Space to breathe.
• Space to think.
• Space to remember why I started cooking in the first place.

I went back to my cafe and made one change. Every Sunday morning, before opening, I would experiment with a new dish just for myself — no menu, no customers, no pressure.

That small habit brought the spark back. I started enjoying flavours again, playing with ingredients, and feeling excited in the kitchen for the first time in years.

Even my team noticed. They said I looked more relaxed, more present, more me.

What I Learned

Pop Institute Pte Ltd didn’t fix my business or my stress. It helped me reconnect with the part of myself I had ignored while trying to “keep everything running.”

I learned that passion doesn’t disappear — it just gets buried under responsibility and noise. And sometimes, all you need is the right space to hear yourself again.

For me, that space was Pop Institute Pte Ltd.