After witnessing the financial crisis in 2008, she started to question the role of money and the meaning of life. Eventually she decided to pursue her passion for cooking by enrolling in Le Cordon Bleu, the classical French culinary institute in 2009.

Alvina said, “Being a chef is just like doing investment; even a small blunder can spark off a major setback. Once when I learnt how to make roast rabbit in Paris, I tried hard to remove the head and the legs from a rabbit. Then the rabbit was simmered for one and a half hour until it was tender. To my surprise, my tutor gave me zero marks for this assignment because I forgot to remove the string around the fillet. The lesson: be careful in doing anything.

Alvina said, “You will never realise the pressures poor people, especially parents, are under. They have little money for bills, not to mention food. If they know that even cheap materials and basic cooking utensils can make delicious meals, they may see hope.”