After a few unsuccessful matches, Michael Ong, who is in his late 70s, says he is not sure how many more years he has in him to keep his bak kwa business going.
He hopes to urgently find a successor to take over the bak kwa business and share its secret recipe that he mastered 52 years ago.
"I am open to negotiating a price, just make an offer if anyone is keen," Michael said.
"Bak kwa has been my signature item I sell at my restaurants over the decades and I really hope I can pass it on to someone to keep it going."
In the event there are no takers in the next couple of years, Michael said he may be forced to close up the shop for good.
"I am already getting old and my hands are not as steady as they once were before. None of my children are interested in taking over," he said.
Once he had a chain of Malaysian restaurants across Auckland, but is now just operating Malaysia Singapore Cuisine, a small stall inside the Medowlands Shopping Mall.
Michael learned the secret of grilling his bak kwa in Singapore after leaving his Malaysian hometown of Kuala Lumpur at age 18 to search for better opportunities across the causeway.
He mastered bak kwa-making while working in Bee Cheng Hiang in Singapore in the early 1970s, one of the most popular bakkwa chains in the island nation.
Bak kwa is translated to "dried meat" in the Hokkien dialect and it is an extremely popular meat jerky snack among Singaporeans, Malaysians and Chinese during Chinese New Year.
During the festive season, people pay high prices and queue for hours to get it.
The skills he acquired had been his ticket to starting successful businesses in Malaysia, England and here in Auckland.
Michael moved to Auckland in 1989, when he started his first stall selling Malaysian food in Otahuhu.
Within a decade he had opened seven restaurants and food court stalls - with his signature bakkwa available at all of them.
He is a pioneer of Malaysian cuisine in Auckland, but his bak kwa distinguished his eateries from the rest.
Bak kwa's origins can be traced to China's Fujian province when poverty was widespread and pork was considered a luxury meat.
The delicacy was introduced to Malaya by Hokkien immigrants from Fujian, and the dish - known as rou gan to the Chinese - was tweaked to suit local taste.
Michael's is the Singapore-style bak kwa, where the barbecued meat is minced, shaped into slices and dipped in a sweet marinade before being air-dried and finally grilled over charcoal.
There are also beef and chicken varieties, plus a spicy pork option.
Michael said he uses less fatty pork and no preservatives, msg or artificial food colouring to cater to the demand for healthier food here.
He will share his secret recipes and techniques, train the new owners, and work at the stall alongside them until they perfect their bak kwa.
Ong has asked that anyone who is interested in taking on his bak kwa business to contact Chow Luck Club email info@chowluckclub.com
Malaysia Singapore Cuisine, Meadowlands Plaza, 112 Whitford Rd, Somerville Malaysia Singapore Cuisine - Menu CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
