He worked till the very end: Chinatown coffee hawker, 80, who served traditional brews for over 60 years, dies of cancer
A beloved coffee hawker, known for serving traditional coffee at his stall in Chinatown, died on Wednesday (Sept 10) at the age of 80.For more than 60 years, Tan Chew Ning operated his coffee stall — a craft he began after learning to brew coffee from his father at the age of 13.According to Shin Min Daily News, Tan began learning to make coffee from his father after dropping out of school as a teenager, and later went on to run his own stall at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. The stall was named Tai Hwa Coffee Stall.In an interview with Shin Min, Tan's 50-year-old son said his grandfather had opened a coffee shop in the Pagoda Street area, which was taken back in 1993.After that, Tan worked at various coffee stalls before eventually partnering with a friend to take over the current stall.Despite the departure of his business partner and the passing of his wife in 2018, Tan continued operating the stall.