Q: Could you tell us about how Malaysian Beef Jerky first started back in 1996?

Ricky: My grandfather developed the recipe in Malaysia and started this whole thing. He realized that there was nothing like this here, and eventually passed it down to my dad, and my dad passed it down to me.

Q: What inspired you (or your family) to bring this style of jerky to New York’s Chinatown?

Ricky: I realized that not much of what we offer was around here, and I’ve been told by a lot of customers that we are one of the very few stores that offer Malaysian jerky here in the United States. They can find it back at home in Malaysia, but not here. I wanted to carry on the legacy of what my parents and grandfather did.

Q: How has the business changed over the past almost 30 years?

Ricky: A lot. Everything has become more digitalized, and we have people who handle our social media to expose ourselves to the rest of the world.

Q: What makes Malaysian-style jerky different from the American-style jerky most people know?

Ricky: It’s how it’s made – the marinade, the flavor, and the process. It’s not so much like the American jerky, where it’s dried and preserved; it’s more fresh, everything is done on the spot, and the flavor is a bit sweeter.

Q: Do you have a personal favorite — sliced, square, pork, or beef — and why?

Ricky: Honestly, I do not – I get asked that a lot. They’re all very good. There’s not one flavor that you can pick, so I personally do not have a favorite; I like them all. Many of our customers go with the beef or pork jerky, but some like to try out the chicken because they’ve never had it before.

Q: What is the process like for making your jerky fresh every day without preservatives?

Ricky: Yeah, we don’t have preservatives in our jerky. The process is quite long; it does take a day to marinate before it goes into the oven in the back, then it goes on the grill to bring out the flavors. After that, it’s stored on display and sold.

Q: Running a small shop in Chinatown can’t be easy — what have been some challenges you’ve faced, especially with location changes or during the pandemic?

Ricky: Even though we moved around a year ago, there are still a lot of old customers who don’t know that we moved. They still go to the old location, and they think that we closed permanently. So we’ve been using social media to let customers know that we’ve switched locations, but it’s not reaching out to everyone. We’re doing our best to put ourselves out there and let everyone know that we’re not new, but have been in this industry for almost 30 years now. We even have tourists who go to our old location instead of here.

As for the pandemic, health was a big thing, and it affected my parents, who were working at the time – especially because the jerky-making process is very hands-on. The pandemic was very unpredictable. As a family, we decided that it was best to close up shop for a while until we could figure out everything. Then, we decided to open up slowly, and things picked up little by little through word of mouth. Obviously, business isn’t back to where it used to be, and there have been many changes with safety and other factors, but we persevered through it, and it got us to where we are now. Hopefully, our social media will help us make up for everything.

Q: How has the Chinatown community supported your business over the years?

Ricky: It helps because everybody knows who we are, and our regulars always come back, telling their friends about us. So, a lot of word of mouth has been helping. Our social media started up as soon as we opened in our new location, which helped a lot, too. We try to tell everybody that we moved, throw some promotions, and a couple of weeks ago, we were at the night market on Eldridge Street, which also increased our exposure.

Q: Do you have a favorite memory of a customer or a story that has stayed with you?

Ricky: We always remember our regulars, who come back and support us. There is this one regular who always came back to us from the old location to this one. He actually moved away from New York City, so he didn’t come to us for a while, and he came back for work, so he was glad that we were still around, especially after the pandemic, wishing us good luck on the move. As of today, he still comes back to visit us and make sure that we’re still here. 

Q: Many people say your jerky sets a new standard for them — what does it mean to you to hear that kind of feedback?

Ricky: Honestly, it’s very touching. It’s definitely something that I didn’t expect growing up with he store; I thought we were just some small business, seeing my parents try to make it by, and seeing people say that about us is good to hear. Words can’t really express my gratitude, and I hope that they can continue to support us and help us fulfill our dream with this new store.

Q: Where do you see Malaysian Beef Jerky going in the future, and what are your goals and aspirations?

Ricky: We have had our online store for a while, and we ship anywhere in the United States. We try reaching out to our customers, whether tourists or locals. A lot of customers are asking us to open stores in other states. It’s tough, but it’s an idea. Maybe we can open branches elsewhere in the States and supply our jerky over there, so customers can buy our products locally instead of online. Obviously, another goal is to keep our store open, especially through generations.