For former strategic media planner Christine Ong, the pandemic proved to be the push she needed to give up the job she no longer felt passionate about.

“I realised I no longer loved my job in advertising. And during the movement control order (MCO), I rediscovered my love of cooking. And it occurred to me that my cooking was not bad, because friends and family kept encouraging my efforts.

“And because I grew up in a large family (I have seven siblings!), I am used to cooking a lot so it triggered me to think of a business where I could share my food with others,” she says.

So Ong gave up her job and in July 2021, pursued her home food business called Cosy Pot of Joy, which focuses on the heirloom recipes she has amassed over the years.