“Do what’s best for you and love yourself first.” – Sam

“Follow your dreams and go for what you want because no one is stopping you. And you shouldn’t too.” – Joelle

This is Sam & Joelle’s Story 

Having lived in Subang Jaya most of their lives, Sam and Joelle Chew are fraternal twins but grew up looking almost identical. Currently, they are residing in Petaling Jaya. When asked about their interests and hobbies, they both mentioned reading, watching Formula 1, running, watching TV shows on Netflix as well as listening to music. We think it’s pretty cool to have a sibling that shares the same interests as you! 

Helping Their Mother To Pursue Her Dreams

Coming from a family with great cooking skills under their belts, Mama Chew, their mother, had always envisioned herself owning her own F&B business. When she lost her job during the pandemic, they took the opportunity to start Mama Chew’s Kitchen, offering healthy home-cooked dishes delivered right at your doorsteps. 

Her main speciality dish includes her peranakan style ‘nasi ulam’, a dish infused with rich herbs, tempeh, chopped chillies, salted egg and steamed white rice nestled at the bottom which is very much loved by many people.  

Their menu also offers a variety of side dishes such as chicken rendang, kapitan chicken curry and stir-fried tempeh. 

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Mama Chew doesn’t just love to cook, though! According to Sam, she loves the entire process of it all. “She enjoys food in its entirety — from picking fresh produce at markets to preparing the ingredients, cooking, and cultivating healthier eating habits.”

With the help of Sam and Joelle, Mama Chew was able to achieve her dream of seeing others enjoying her food while helping others live a healthy lifestyle. 

Documenting Their Lives Through Instagram 

Mama Chew’s Kitchen isn’t the only venture they’re pursuing! Each of them have their own Instagram accounts showcasing what they love. 

#lunchboxseries is an initiative where they both initially wanted to save money for concerts by cooking more instead of eating out. It was rewarding as they managed to save enough to go to a total of 6 concerts in 2019! Eventually, Sam decided to start an Instagram account documenting her daily lunch meals as a way of motivating not only herself but for others as well to live a healthier lifestyle by knowing what food we consume on a daily basis. 

#musingsbyjoelle is an Instagram account created by Joelle, who is a passionate writer. She wanted a space to pen down her thoughts and decided to venture into writing beautiful captions. 

Getting To Know Sam & Joelle On A Deeper Level 

Sam is the type of person that loves all things nature! Being surrounded by greenery or nature in general is how she finds herself being at peace, which makes it her most favourite place to be. Did you know she could also lift a 50kg cement bag on her shoulders? Being a music lover, she also can’t start driving without switching on her Spotify playlist. 

Joelle is the type of person that finds a comfortable place in the corner to unwind, just like in their living room where there’s a lazy chair next to a window, which is her most favourite place. She heads over to her corner with a book in hand or a story to tell for her Instagram account, #musingsbyjoelle. A weird, quirky fact about her is that she loves to eat cornflakes with orange juice! She also says math and numbers isn’t her forte, which is pretty common among writers – words are their best friends. 

We all have our own role models in our lives, and for the both of them, it is none other than their own mother, Mama Chew.

“Mama Chew plays a huge role in nurturing and shaping who we are. She gives us the freedom to choose what we want to do, as long as we understand that every decision made has its pros and cons and stay grounded to our values. Hard work, honesty, humility, integrity, kindness — we learned the best from our role model who embodies them every day,” they shared. 

Facing Challenges in Life 

Juggling a full-time job while helping out with Mama Chew’s Kitchen isn’t that easy. There’s a lot of work to be done when it comes to running a home F&B business. 

“It’s very tough. It’s a lot of long nights, hard work, and dedication to go above and beyond for things to happen,” they both honestly voiced out their struggles. 

However, despite it all, it’s probably one of the best things that ever happened to them as they managed to build a stronger bond with their mum, which is something really valuable when it comes to family. 

“We get exhausted to the bones at times but the rewarding feeling that we get keeps us motivated. It’s not so much from a monetary aspect but building a stronger relationship and emotional connection with our mum in the process.” 

Life Advice From Sam & Joelle

Life can be difficult at times, with hurdles and challenges being thrown at you. We asked Sam and Joelle to share with us how they deal with certain issues in their lives.

Ways On How They Practice Self-Care 

For Sam, she writes in her journal as it gives her the freedom to fully express herself, raw and real. 

As for Joelle, she goes on a mini detox, digitally, as she spends the majority of her time facing screens, be it a laptop or phone due to her work. By restricting herself with minimal downtime without screens, it helps her to relax and reset her intentions for the upcoming weeks. 

How Do They Deal With Negativity? 

Negativity is something that we cannot avoid. As shared by Joelle, they both learned how to deal with negativity by being mindful. “I think we both learned to be better at dealing with negativity over the years by being mindful. We also keep each other in check because we’re very close to each other, which we are so grateful for, by talking about what’s bothering us truthfully.”

“When I encounter negative situations and people, I try my best not to react in anger or frustration because that’s not helpful. It will be like pouring kerosene into the fire. Instead, I’ll write about how I feel in the Notes app on my phone and read it only when I’m calmer. That’s when I digest what happened earlier constructively and ask myself what or how I can do better,” Joelle shared. 

We hope Sam & Joelle’s story has inspired you the way it inspires us, to never give up on your dreams and do whatever it takes to pursue them! 

Do you have your own story to tell? Drop us an email at: contact@happyhormones.my

Mama Chew’s Kitchen Instagram: @mamachewskitchen

#lunchboxseries Instagram: @lunchboxseries

#musingsbyjoelle Instagram: @musingsbyjoelle