Max Maeder Serves 200 Customers At Curry Puff Shop, Boss Says He Had ‘No Wrong Orders, Very Stable’

Max had previously promised to work a day selling curry puffs if he won the award, which was determined half by public voting, and half by the World Sailing’s panel experts.

Why Soon Soon Huat?

Max’s mother, Hwee Keng, told CNA that the family have been visiting Soon Soon Huat for curry puffs for many years. “I absolutely adore curry puffs,” Maeder confirmed. “We come here often… it’s so nice of them to let me do this.” 

Soon Soon Huat’s boss tells 8days.sg that she’s familiar with Max and his family: “Max visits my shop each time he’s in Singapore, probably because he lives nearby. ”

Soon Soon Huat had its beginnings as 1A Crispy Curry Puff in Eunos in the ’90s when the current owner’s late granny first set up shop. They were later forced to rebrand their famous 1A name when an ex-employee took it to open rival shops, including one in Takashimaya, as they didn’t trademark the 1A brand. 

Showed up at 7am

An energetic Maeder showed up bright and early at 7am before the shop opened, dressed in a Soon Soon Huat T-shirt.

Several customers said it was refreshing to see the young athlete taking orders behind the counter. Max had initially wanted to make the curry puffs himself, but didn’t manage to get certified for food hygiene in time, so he settled for serving them instead.

Many young fans

Foo Zee Zou, 15, told CNA she had come especially to see Maeder, whom she had been a fan of since his Olympic win.

“It feels a bit surreal to see an Olympic medallist doing something so down to earth, that everyday people can do. It makes me feel like we’re not that different, actually,” she said. “As an athlete myself, I feel very inspired by his achievements, and how he’s achieved so much for Singapore. I feel motivated to work even harder in my sport and to push myself to my limits so that I can achieve great things too.”

Another customer who didn’t want to be named said it was “nice to see how young people [want] to be part of the [local] culture here”

Max says experience was “lots of fun”

Maeder described his first experience working at the front of a store as “very lively” and “lots of fun”. “I hope I didn’t make too many mistakes and I was more of a help than a burden,” he said.

Served almost 200 customers

As for whether competitive sailing or hawking curry puffs is more difficult, he said, “I think that’s undecided – it’s only my first day!” There was a steady stream of customers queuing up for their snacks since the shop opened and Max told CNA that he probably served up to 150-200 customers since he started his "shift" this morning. Mui Lan confirms with 8days.sg that they sold 197 puffs during Max’s stint.

“No wrong orders, very stable,” says Soon Soon Huat boss of Max

Soon Soon Huat boss Mui Lan (left in pic, with her mum), gave Maeder a good report. “Max did well. No wrong orders, very stable,” she declares.

“He is really good, he arrived very early today. We ran through things with him and in just a few minutes, he managed to remember everything — very steady,” she adds. “He was stationed at the counter where he greeted customers, he also assisted with packing the curry puffs,” she shares. 

Were there more customers and better sales today? “Of course, there were a lot more people and new faces. He's drawn a lot of attention,” she shares.

The Katong curry puff shop surprised Max with a special curry puff with his name on it.

After his curry puff shift, Maeder will head back to training, with a camp in Perth lined up for mid-November as he continues to push forward in his sailing career.

Soon Soon Huat Curry Puff is at 220 East Coast Rd, S428917. Open daily except Mon 7.30am to 5pm. https://www.facebook.com/SSHCurryPuff. Tel: 68415618.

Photos: CNA/Mak Jia Kee/8Days

Additional reporting by Tasha Ting

The original version of this story first appeared in CNA Lifestyle.

For more CNA Lifestyle stories, visit https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/.