• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go to Expat Living Hong Kong
Get our Newsletter

Lifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living HomepageLifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living

Moving to Singapore and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Singapore.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living in Singapore
      • Living here
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Schools
      • Property
      • Work & Finance
      • For Guys
      • Environment
      • Readers’ Choice Awards
        • Moving house? Get your Wi-Fi connection right!
        • earth hour festival earth hour Singapore WWF SingaporeSwitch Off for Earth Hour by WWF Singapore
        • Lydia Ko plays golf tournament in singaporeWatch a women’s golf battle for the Team Series title!
        • real estate in united states owning property in USOwning Real Estate in the United States
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things to do
      • EL Events
      • Calendar
      • Competitions
      • Noticeboard
        • Elke & man k9 empawer walkWhat’s on this week and beyond
        • St Patrick's Day 2023 - irish pubs and drinking spotsSt Patrick’s Day: Great bars to celebrate at
        • Lydia Ko plays golf tournament in singaporeWatch a women’s golf battle for the Team Series title!
        • 10 places for teenagers to hang out in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Enrichment
      • Kids Things To Do
      • Mums & Babies
      • Schools
      • Tots & Toddlers
      • Tweens & Teens
        • 10 places for teenagers to hang out in Singapore
        • Mental health support for toddlers to teens
        • Fun obstacle course in Singapore for kids and adultsHomeTeamNS challenges you to the ultimate obstacle course!
        • education system in Singapore Astor international schoolAstor: Small Singapore school with big impact
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Decor
      • Readers’ Homes
      • Furniture
        • Beautiful interior design by Arete CultureNeed decorators, home stylists or interior designers?
        • Affordable art in SingaporeBuying affordable art in Singapore – it is possible!
        • Where to buy a really good bed and mattress in Singapore
        • co living Singapore coliwoo5 reasons to choose co-living in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • Rest Of World
      • News
      • Travel Offers
        • property in sydneyBuying property in Sydney
        • international health insurance for singapore expatsHealth insurance for Singapore expats
        • Travel News & Hotel Deals
        • Chloe from E&A InteriorsBuilding a holiday villa in Sri Lanka from start to finish!
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Asian Cuisine
      • Western Cuisine
      • Bars & Clubs
      • Groceries & Speciality Services
      • Recipes & Classes
        • St Patrick's Day 2023 - irish pubs and drinking spotsSt Patrick’s Day: Great bars to celebrate at
        • local desserts in singapore - Rainbow ice cream breadMust-try local desserts in Singapore
        • Best Restaurants in Singapore – Where to eat for foodies!
        • 3 Greek restaurants for your Mediterranean food fix!
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
      • Beauty Offers
        • Niessing gold jewellery in SingaporeI discovered a 150-year-old jeweller in Singapore!
        • Boutique Fairs Singapore fairs in Singapore6 New brands at the Spring edition of Boutique Fairs Singapore!
        • hairdressers in singapore balayage and blonde highiightsBest salons for blonde highlights and balayage
        • ultherapy amaris bLook attractive with or without your face mask!
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Dental
      • Fitness
      • Medical
      • Wellness
        • Here’s why sleep is so important
        • core exercises in singapore7 Singapore Pilates studios for core exercises & more!
        • at-home personal training yoga in singaporeYoga classes in Singapore, and the benefits!
        • Here’s what inspires a top urologist in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • PRINT MAGAZINE
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • BOOKS
    • Close

The Next Chapter: Rowena Michaels

29th September 2016 by Emily Finch 2 Min Read

https://expatliving.sg/the-next-chapter-rowena-michaels/

In her latest project, Rowena Michaels has published Singapore’s first cookbook in both English and Tagalog. Susannah Jaffer caught up with the busy author and mum of two in her picturesque black-and-white colonial home to find out more.

As I walk up the driveway through tall black iron gates and step onto Rowena Michaels’ front porch, I’m immediately greeted by two furiously wagging tails. Daffy and Poppy, two adorable and highly energetic border terriers, were both transported here about two years ago from the UK, Rowena’s home country.

She’s lived in Singapore for seven years, though, and with a husband of Singaporean and British heritage and two children has put down firm roots and now feels quite at home. “Having relatives around really makes all the difference,” she says.

It’s been a busy and rather stressful few months preparing for the launch of her new cookbook, A Helping Hand: Delicious Recipes in English & Tagalog, says Rowena – who also goes by her quirky nickname, Frog.

authors in singapore, food blogging
Rowena Michaels

Where did you get inspiration for this wonderful book?
I speak French at a pretty proficient level, and a few years ago I was trying to cook from Cuisine Du Monde while on holiday in France; there was a copy lying around in the house we had rented. It was extremely difficult to follow, and I found myself getting stuck with the cooking terminology.

It came to me in a sudden flash how difficult it must sometimes be for our helpers to decipher cooking phrases such as “beat”, “blind bake”, “bind” and “blanch”, which, let’s face it, are neither helpful nor descriptive – even for native English speakers.

What did you hope to achieve?
A lot of people living here are fortunate enough to be looked after by hardworking helpers who can generally turn their hand to anything, be it childcare, cooking or cleaning.

What I’ve written in the Tagalog introduction (which sits opposite the English one and which is aimed at helpers) is that I hope that this book becomes their friend, saves them time and helps to turn cooking into a creative and enjoyable process – not something tinged with confusion and potential misunderstanding. I believe food cooked with care and confidence tastes so much better, too!

Lastly, I make a donation from each and every sale to HOME, the wonderful charity dedicated to upholding the rights of migrant workers in Singapore.

You have a strong and loyal following on your blog changmoh.com; how did you start out?
I wanted an excuse to explore local finds in and around Singapore, and blogging about it seemed like the perfect way to document my journey and the things I discovered along the way.

Do you have any entrepreneurial tips or advice to share?
If you have an idea that no one else seems to have thought of and you spot that elusive gap in the market – go for it!

A Helping Hand: Delicious Recipes in English & Tagalog is available at $39.90 excluding GST. For a full list of stockists or to order online, visit helpinghandseries.com.

This is an extract of an article that first appeared in the June 2016 edition of Expat Living. You can buy a copy for the full story, or visit our Shop to subscribe so you never miss an issue!

Like this? For more inspiring stories, head to our Style & Beauty section

Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox
Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox

Categories: Style & Beauty Tags: Singapore Book Singapore Food Singapore Language Singapore Recipes

Emily Finch

Always on the hunt for her next resto review, Emi has spent the last four years at EL munching and drinking her way around the island. Not one to turn down a free-flow opportunity, a personal highlight has been attending a super-brunch (yes, they exist!), and she now spends most evenings "power walking" it all off! Her active daughters and highly strung woofer keep her busy when she's not chained to her laptop managing digital content.

You May Also Like

Niessing gold jewellery in Singapore

I discovered a 150-year-old jeweller in Singapore!

jewellery enamelling Moss & Lupine Guilloche

Jewellery enamelling and guilloche add the spark!

face treatment mendis aesthetics face lift device

We review the brand new face treatment EMFACE!

Primary Sidebar

  • Competitions
  • Noticeboard
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2023 Expat Living Singapore, All Rights Reserved.