Melting Pot

Weiting Tan has worked in leadership roles in an array of industries, such as Human Resources and Technology. Now he has unleashed his entrepreneurial spirit to launch a new startup called El Masnou. El Masnou is a collective of passionate, yet quirky, individuals who constantly seek to create experiences that bring joy, excitement, and delight, through its work. The new company was named after a...

It’s hard to believe how the year has just flown by. Lives of millions of people have been impacted by the covid-19. Precious lives have been lost and many are grieving for their loved ones who were suddenly  taken away from them because of the pandemic. But for millions of others who have been fortunate, 2020 has been a year of reflection and self exploration.  Host Payal Nayar reflects...

Originally from Nagoya, Japan, Tsuyumi was involved with the arts from a young age. After a career in TV and Radio, she moved to Singapore in 2012. Now in a new chapter of life, she has dusted off my easel and rediscovered her love of painting. She is currently establishing herself in the local arts scene.  Colour and light are very important to her as her artworks are an expression of feelin...

Jaishree Misra is an Indian author whose debut novel Ancient Promises was published and sold worldwide by Penguin UK and became a major bestseller in India. It is now a prescribed text on several University BA Eng Literature courses. Her most recent book ('A House for Mr Misra') is an amusing non-fiction account of building a studio by the sea in her home state of Kerala. It is also her first work...

At the age of 19, Tri Phan was named the first-ever Vietnamese MasterChef Runner-up. But his food journey started way earlier, from turning his hobby into a passion and now it is an ongoing life mission. Since then, Tri has been continuously honing his skills through various apprenticeships and jobs. He is currently based at Spiced, a coworking and hangout space and is keeping himself busy with Sp...

By the time she was in her late teens, author and journalist Ashwini Devare had lived in six countries. As the daughter of an IFS officer, Ashwini was witness to life in the Soviet Union, Burma, Sikkim and Seoul. Her latest book, Lost at 15, Found at 50: Travel, trials and tribulations in foreign lands is a memoir where the Singapore based author reflects on her life and growing up in countries ac...

By profession Jerome is a corporate lawyer in Vietnam. But during weekends, he swapped his briefcase for the apron and rolling pin to pursue his  passion for baking. Now he is a born owner of Café Tartine Saïgon, a café-bakery focusing on sourdough. At the age of 11 he was working on weekends and on school holidays at a small mountain village in the south of France at the border with Italy. S...

Hanming works in the tech sector and calls Singapore her home. She is also an artist and illustrator. What started as a casual brunch conversation with her friend Aditi turned into this charity fundraising campaign for this season of gifting. Together they are running an Art Sale-cum-Charity-Fundraiser from 20 November to 15 December 2020 where everyone can gift an artwork of Hanming to your loved...

After 3 decades of corporate life, Subba Vaidyanathan swapped his high-pressure world of Finance and Banking to focus on preparing leaders and organisations for a fast-changing world. The experienced mindfulness practitioner and corporate leader, has a deep personal practice of yoga and meditation spanning 20 years.  His fifteen years of annual practice of silence & solitude has been the...

Bold, simple, immaculate - are a few adjectives that would describe Sunil Padwal and his work. They catch your eye even if you are just passing by and this glimpse takes you into a journey of thought and reflection. Every time you view Sunil's paintings they reveal a new facet, pushing you into a new realm of thought. We speak to renowned Mumbai visual artist Sunil Padwal about his artistic journe...

At an early age of 16, Justin Foo embarked on his career with food and never looked back. During his fourteen years experience in the business, Justin has worn his chef hat and led teams operations in both food and media industries. Since 2017, Justin has shifted his focus to producing videos and events, taking advantage of his unique position as both a chef and content producer. Despite having tr...

Underneath the poker face is a quick-witted, well-travelled professional poker player who is all about striking a balance in his life. Rishabh Chawla, co-owner of India's largest growing poker community,  IPPA - India Poker Players’ Association, talks about his game plan for work and life. For a quick insight into business strategy and growth, tune in to the latest episode of Melting Pot and...

Holistic Health is an ancient approach to health that considers the whole person and how they interact with their environment. It emphasizes the connection of mind, body and spirit. La Holista is the story of two women coming together with a mission to transform lives through wellness. Besides wholesome foods and drinks, La Holista offers a range of services such as lunch deliveries, cooking class...

Federico Folcia wants to use technology to make a meaningful impact and drive positive change in our communities. The CEO and founder of Crane is passionate about  improving the quality of life of our silver generation. Crane is a Singapore based ecosystem for lifelong learning born to help different generations of people relate and socialise based on common interests, in an inclusive and aff...

Brittany wants people to feel strong and empowered by the Nope Sisters clothing and use them as a tool for change, just like herself. The high school dropout found success in running her own business. Nope Sisters was originally started by Brittany and her sister and is now just run by her as a way of starting conversations about social issues that need to be addressed. Original music credit: Rish...

Shibal Bhartiya is an eye surgeon who has transformed lives through her expertise in India.  She also is the founder of Vision Unlimited, a bootstrap social organisation, involved in skill transfer, disaster relief, food security and health care access. Apart from a million prescriptions, she regularly writes up randomised control trials on glaucoma for medical journals, and contributes to ma...

A crypto and blockchain enthusiast, Dominic Kapalu turned his interests into a thriving career. He became a network marketer and is the Chairman of the recently formed Blockchain Zambia Limited. He is also a published author of two books, The Financial Fitness System and THINK an acronym of Thoughts, Humour, Ideas, Notes and Knowledge.  He is also passionate about youth development who are no...

“I am a good actor, but let me forget all this. Let me understand what is required in this play. Who is this character I am doing?” Did you enjoy my conversation with Preeta last week? Join me for part 2 of the conversation where Preeta continues to chat about her passion for theatre. Original music credit: Rish Sharma. His music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other streaming pl...

Preeta Mathur Thakur is a respected game changer in the India theatre world. She shares her experience as a woman in the industry who has broken the glass ceiling while innovating and excelling as a theatre professional. As a leading  figure, with almost 4000 shows of about 50 plays she has made significant contributions to the Mumbai Theatre world. She possesses a unique knowledge and first...

Meet Julia Atzesberger who is passionate about living healthy and sustainably. She shares her mission to inspire others enabling them to make meaningful changes in their lives. An Austrian with a mediterranean soul, Julia has called Barcelona her home since 2001.  She pivoted from fashion studies in New York to marketing and technology positions before becoming a skincare pioneer. Julia is th...

Jolene Lo quit the corporate world 3 years ago to discover the future by finding the next destination to continue her passion in online healing, food, and charity businesses. Having lived a roller coaster life, the World Spiritual Traveler believes in self-awareness and shares with us how she hopes to impact lives by bringing in love, peace and happiness to every situation. The Malaysian is also a...

For our first episode of Season 2, meet Galo Blanco who has been impacting lives through tennis. We speak to Galo about his athlete and coaching career as well as his plans to champion the sport of tennis to a new generation of audience and new players through Davis Cup.  A professional tennis player from 1994-2006, he has a career-high singles ranking of No. 40.  and his best result in...

Welcome to a new season of Melting Pot! The past three months have been an incredible journey for us, where we had the opportunity to meet with some very inspirational people. In the first season, the focus was on guests from diverse cultures with  a common passion for food. We are so excited to now launch season 2.which will also  focus on diverse cultures from all over the world, featu...

Scott Marquis is an American Chef making his home in Vietnam. La Fiesta was an opportunity to fill a niche here in Saigon, as there weren't that many places taking Tex-Mex/Mexican seriously when he and his wife opened up 6 years ago. They worked hard to build themselves a great reputation for making tasty Tex-Mex food and drinks, with big portions and great service. Their second location La Fiesta...

Noor Khan is an educationist by profession and supporter of Lucknowi/ Awadhi culture by passion. Specialising in English, she taught for many years at the Karamat Husain Muslim Girls' College from where she retired as the Principal. Currently she is an Executive Committee Member of Alliance Francaise in Lucknow. She works closely with Sanatkada, a weaves and crafts outlet in Lucknow. Sanatkad...