Culinary skills a boon for hotel exec-turned-chef

Family affair: Chu tying a dumpling with a string as her husband Fachroedin arranges the leaves. — ART CHEN/The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: For Nur Basirah Debbie Chu, her love for food and her great culinary skills have become a lifeline for her family after her job was affected during the movement restriction period.

Having gone through a series of pay cuts and unpaid leave since last year, the hotel purchasing executive decided to trade in her desk job for an apron by churning out various types of halal Chinese dumplings.

Recalling the hard times, the 38-year-old from Taman Melur in Ampang said it was challenging for her and her husband as their youngest daughter is only a year old.

“Our usual combined salaries put us in the T20 group so we were not entitled to any form of aid.