But to the homeless in Kuala Lumpur, Uncle George, as he is affectionately known, is a kind man who brings them hot packets of nasi lemak every morning.
FMT recently met up with Uncle George, who said he was inspired to do charity work as a 20-year-old after listening to a priest’s sermon.
“They would take care of the poor by collecting funds and purchasing provisions for 70 over families,” Uncle George says of the priest and his congregation.
Moved by their generosity, he joined them for all their charity work.
Later, as a youth leader, he raised funds for the poor by selling Hokkien mee, fried mee hoon, sandwiches and coffee, all of which he cooked himself.
He would also regularly organise car washes and when Christmas rolled around, he held concerts to raise funds to purchase school uniforms for poor kids. He says the concerts were an annual affair that he kept going for 20 years.
Although camera-shy, Uncle George got down to work during FMT’s visit. While deftly piping fresh cream into choux pastry puffs, he spoke of his love for baking.
“This has been my passion ever since I started helping my mother in the kitchen as a young boy. I knew my dream was to become a pastry chef,” he said, adding that his dad encouraged him to join the company he was working in as a baker.
Unfortunately, like thousands of others whose jobs were affected by the pandemic, Uncle George’s salary was slashed by 45% when the MCO was enforced in March.
What had been a kitchen of eight was reduced to just a junior chef and himself. One day, from out of the blue, he was told he had lost his job.
“My boss wanted me to hand in my resignation letter and send me off with just a month’s salary.
“It was heartbreaking because I was very dedicated. I would be at work by 4.30am and on my feet for nine whole hours,” he says, with undeniable sadness in his voice.
However, this did not deter the pastry chef with 37 years of experience from picking himself up. His niece, Elvina Fernandez, encouraged him to begin an online baking business called Uncle George Bakes.
He started with his personal favourites — a non-alcoholic fruit cake, cream puffs, egg tarts, and tuna puffs.
Within a week of launching Uncle George Bakes, orders shot through the roof — shocking and delighting Uncle George. Never did he expect such an overwhelming response.
The number of orders have remained high, and Uncle George recently introduced chicken curry puffs to the menu.
“Last week, we sold close to 200 fruit cakes. My current bestseller is the fruit cake because it’s only RM15 for 500 grams. Times are tough and I want the prices to be affordable for everyone.”
Due to how busy things are these days, his children and nieces help with deliveries within the Klang Valley. Uncle George also receives orders from Penang, Melaka and Seremban.
At the moment, Uncle George Bakes delivers only on weekends as weekdays are dedicated to fulfilling customers’ orders.
Despite the success of his own pastry business, Uncle George has never forgotten the one thing closest to his heart – his charity work. He’s decided that a percentage of his profits will go towards feeding the homeless.
He wakes up at 3:00 am every morning and heads to Jalan Masjid India, where he and his friend cook nasi lemak using his signature sambal. By 6.30 am and armed with hot packets of nasi lemak, both take to the streets feeding the homeless.
By 7:30 am, and with all the packets distributed, Uncle George lingers on to spend some quality time with those he feeds — talking to them and enquiring if they need medical care.
Uncle George tells FMT of his dream to open a community centre someday. He says it will include a place for the elderly to spend time at, a library for kids to study and a kitchen to teach housewives baking so they’ll have another means of income.
Unfortunately, this dream was put on hold due to Covid-19, but he hopes to get the centre up and running once the pandemic blows over.
With his pastries baked for the day, Uncle George says he’s heading out to take two homeless people down with a high fever to the hospital.
Before taking his leave, he imparts some sage advice for those in quarantine or who have lost their jobs.
“Have faith and move on. Use whatever talents you have. There are people out there who will support you. It’s not easy. I’ve come across so many who have broken down in tears, but never give up,” the soft-spoken man says.
To support Uncle George and his amazing cause, go here to place your orders.
Keep an eye out for Uncle George Bakes next week, as he will be featuring Homer Simpson’s favourite food — doughnuts!
