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His kitchen experiments and supportive family gave Davis Ng his first taste of cooking for a crowd, but it was his education with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at SIT that prepped him for the nitty-gritty of running a restaurant.
As a teen, Davis Ng was experimenting in the kitchen with dry-aging beef using fish sauce and smoking cuts over a tiny Weber grill. His kitchen experiments impressed his parents enough that he became the go-to cook for dinner parties at home with friends and family.
Fast forward over a decade and the CIA graduate—now 28—runs BaconKing and Kemuri BBQ, two meat-centric F&B concepts along Balestier Road.
Davis (most left) with TV personality Chua En Lai (in green shirt) and kitchen staff in front of BaconKing and Kemuri BBQ, both located at 400 Balestier Road. (Photo: Davis Ng)
“I dreamt of owning a restaurant of my own,” shared Davis as he recounted his culinary journey. As adept as he was in front of the grills despite his youth, Davis knew there were knowledge gaps he needed to fill.
“You can pick up cooking tips on YouTube, but it’s still superficial. Researching the business side alone wouldn’t be the same as a formal education.”
Inspired by his food hero, the late Anthony Bourdain, Davis decided to enrol at CIA Singapore, despite having no prior experience in professional kitchens. “I believe my passion came through in my application letter,” he reflected.
Straight out of National Service, Davis plunged headfirst into the intense routine of culinary school.
Davis’ sliced smoked briskets are so authentic they’ve earned nods from diners from New Orleans. (Photo: Davis Ng)
Kemuri BBQ’s chili cheese fries. (Photo: Davis Ng)
Rigorous Coursework from the Start
The two-year Bachelor’s programme was a taster of the whirlwind pace of F&B operations. There were lectures, practical classes, homework and tests to juggle day in and day out. That wasn’t the only thing he had on his plate. Davis was also running BaconKing, his ready-to-eat smoked meat business, out of a friend’s kitchen during that time.
“It was tiring but also fruitful. On top of proper time management, you have to rely on your passion and drive to get through it,” said Davis.
However, the challenges were outweighed by the camaraderie among CIA students and faculty. When his class had to organise a dinner gala to raise funds for charity, Davis, who also boxes professionally, offered to contribute his fight purse—his professional fee totaling about $600—from a match to the cause.
Behind the chef’s whites lies the grit of a professional boxer! (Photo: Davis Ng)
“All my classmates and faculty came down to support me during the match. It was very memorable,” he reminisced.
His overseas attachment took him to Austin, Texas, where he spent six months working for the renowned BBQ food truck LeRoy and Lewis.
“I realised right away that I knew very little,” he admitted. From trimming raw meat to managing fire zones and slicing the finished product, every step of preparation was more intricate and technical than he had imagined.
Although he had wanted to stay longer, he returned to Singapore to move BaconKing into a proper space. This was how, in September 2022, the freshly minted CIA graduate invested in a space that would be home to both Bacon King and the Japanese Texan BBQ sit-down restaurant Kemuri BBQ.
“I had the confidence of operating my own business because of the experience I had in Texas. I didn’t want to sit on it because I might lose my touch.”
Davis also drew on lessons from CIA, which covered the nuts and bolts of running a restaurant, from hospitality training to high-volume food production and the business side of F&B operations.
The Life of a Restaurateur
Acting on his instinct paid off. On weekends, the casual 40-seat Kemuri BBQ packs a full house and serves over 50kg of meats. His custom-made 750kg smoker—christened Rocky—is a point of pride when his employees give interested diners kitchen tours. Davis is at the restaurant on most days, working alongside his colleagues on the cook line and enjoying the chaotic process of being a chef-restaurateur.
His top recommendations on the menu are the Texan Tres (a three-meat platter), “Choose the bacon, beef cheeks and smoked duck,” he stressed, as well as the Jambalaya, a traditional Creole rice dish.
For those who want a taste at home, orders for vacuum-sealed smoked meats can be made through Bacon King’s various platforms. Customers can also browse a selection of vacuum-sealed smoked meats at Kemuri BBQ and make purchases.
Kemuri BBQ is gearing up for a rebrand, moving towards a southern American menu and serving up meat platters. (Photo: Davis Ng)
Even though he graduated in 2022, Davis keeps his ties with his alma mater warm. Not just to catch up with the faculty but also seek advice on recipes and business decisions. “Not only has CIA introduced me to the cuisines of the world, it has also given me a clear vision for the kind of business I wish to build,” he reflects.
While expansion isn’t quite on his mind yet, Davis is gearing up for a rebrand of Kemuri BBQ in October, shifting towards a southern American menu, serving meat platters of Texan barbecue. The passionate chef is now experimenting with new recipes for breads and house cocktails.
And what drives him through the long hours? “When someone from New Orleans says my gumbo tastes just like their mama’s. This is what warms my heart.”
