What Nobody Tells You About The F&B Industry | OpenHaus S10E5 with Bjorn Shen

Описание: 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙃𝙖𝙪𝙨 𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙖.

🎙️𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨. 💌

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If you’ve ever thought a chef’s journey was all passion and perfect dishes, Bjorn Shen’s story will change the way you see the kitchen.

In today’s episode, we sit down with the founder of Artichoke and Small's to explore the real, unfiltered path that shaped him, from the harsh, old-school kitchen culture he entered at 22 to the playful, chaotic creativity he’s known for today.

Bjorn opens up about the early days of cooking when hazing was considered “normal,” and how that environment formed the foundation of his work ethic long before the industry changed. He also shares why he chose cooking in the first place, how that choice evolved, and how his influences shaped the way he approaches restaurants, hospitality, and people.

From challenging stiff dining conventions by sitting with customers like friends, to building restaurants that reflect his personality rather than trends, Bjorn’s story is not the romanticised chef narrative many expect. It’s honest, messy, funny, painful, and deeply human.

In this candid conversation, you’ll learn:
🟪 What early kitchen life was really like 20 years ago
🟪 How he developed his own style of hospitality after rejecting the old norms
🟪 Why his concepts often began as simple ideas but evolved into something bigger
🟪 The mistakes he made building restaurants, and the lessons that still follow him
🟪 His honest take on customer behaviour, staff emotions, and the reality of F&B work

This isn’t the usual glamorous chef story we hear. It’s a story about growing up in the kitchen, adapting with the times, rethinking hospitality, and staying honest about the brutal, funny, and meaningful moments that shaped him.

See what we're up to:
Listen on Spotify - https://tinyurl.com/openhaus-spotify
Instagram -   / openhaus.wha  
TikTok -   / openhaus.wha  
Collaborate with us! - https://writehaus.asia/podcast/

Find Bjorn here:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bjornshen/?...

Find Durga here:
  / durga.poonambalam  
  / durga-poonambalam-9aa5725a  

00:10 – Introduction
01:24 – Why Bjorn chose cooking in his early 20s
03:39 – How Singapore’s kitchen industry has changed
04:16 – From chef to entrepreneur: how he convinced himself he could do it
05:24 – Ideas he wished Singapore restaurants explored more
06:54 – Are customers always right? Bjorn’s honest take
09:27 – The line he refuses to cross with customers
11:48 – The wildest incident ever in his restaurant
12:53 – Why Artichoke never celebrated Valentine’s Day or Christmas
13:53 – How Singapore’s conservatism shaped diners today
16:58 – Being labelled Singapore’s “rebel chef”: empowering or limiting?
18:52 – The dish he knew Singaporeans would never accept
20:37 – Should chefs and business owners experiment or stick to classics?
21:42 – The brutal business lesson Bjorn learned the hard way
22:29 – What he considers a “good mistake”
23:55 – How the new generation of chefs is different
26:10 – Are TV shows scripted? The truth behind filming
27:20 – The shift from business owner to TV personality
29:07 – How MasterChef differed from every show he did before
30:24 – Bjorn on burnout: what it looked like and how he copes
31:37 – What keeps him going after decades in F&B
35:48 – Outro