Write an article about How cooking became a lifeline for this single mother .Organize the content with appropriate headings and subheadings (h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6), Retain any existing tags from Larissa Low, seen here with daughters Ariella (first from right) and Amaiya, is cooking her way to a better tomorrow. (Andrea Rhiannon Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
KUALA LUMPUR: Larissa Low is a busy woman. She is a single mother to three children aged 22, 14 and 12 as well as the founder and head chef of Asian Gourmet Sdn Bhd, a food catering and events management company catering to high-end clients and corporations.
Speaking to FMT Lifestyle recently, she recalled how she came to be adopted, and how difficult her childhood was.
“When I was just a few days old, my mum went to her best friend’s house to tell her about the birth and to show off her new baby. My mum told her, ‘Just hang on to her for a while. I need to get some milk, and I’ll come back.’” Her father was with her that day.
Larissa shared that all she knows of her birth parents is that her father is Indian and her mother, Chinese.
Her mother’s best friend, Low Yoong Ngan, waited for the couple’s return – but they never did. After failed attempts to contact her friend, Yoong Ngan decided to adopt the baby.
Although Yoong Ngan’s father was initially opposed to the adoption, his heart melted when he held the baby in his arms one day.
Larissa remained close to her grandfather until his passing. In fact, the 49-year-old added, he was the one who gave her the Chinese name Kim Mon.
“My grandfather was the best guy, the best man, the love of my life. His passing was so hard. When he was around, I felt very love, protected.”
Larissa’s beloved grandfather, Low Hway Choon. (Andrea Rhiannon Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
But things changed after he died. Larissa said she was living with her grandmother then, her aunt and Yoong Ngan’s two children. Yoong Ngan herself was staying elsewhere at the time because of work.
“My aunt started being very abusive towards me. I was the one doing all the work – cleaning, cooking and taking care of my grandmother, brother and sister,” she recalled, adding that Yoong Ngan was unaware of this.
Still, there was a bright spot: Larissa developed a love for cooking, which she credits her grandmother for.
“From a young age, I was always very fascinated with cooking, with the fires. Every time she was cooking, I would be in the kitchen. It wasn’t like she was teaching me, it’s just that she asked me to help.”
As Larrisa chopped onions and minced garlic, she found herself enjoying the process – and unknowingly honing skills that would serve her well later in life.
Eventually, Larissa left for Singapore to stay with another relative. She got married there, and became a professional make-up artist, manicurist and pedicurist.
Through cooking, Larissa has found a path to a brighter future. (Andrea Rhiannon Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
But after her second marriage ended, Larissa seriously began wondering how she’d support her children while still being there for them. She knew that her previous jobs meant long hours away from them.
By then, she was back in Malaysia, and Yoong Ngan suggested that she give cooking a shot. So she relaunched an earlier business called Larissa’s Kitchen, which had become dormant.
The timing was perfect. It was 2020 and the pandemic had hit, a tragedy that ironically helped boost her business.
Before long, she launched Larissa Catering Services, then started Asian Gourmet Sdn Bhd. Today, she cooks various cuisines: Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western and more.
Larissa was recently recognised with the ‘Entrepreneurship and Expansion Award 2025 (Female)’ at the Akshaya Chef Award. (Andrea Rhiannon Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
In 2023, wanting to gauge her culinary skills, she entered the Halal SuperChef competition and became one of the 10 finalists – the only Malaysian among them. She has since secured the franchise rights to host the competition in Malaysia.
And just recently, she received the “Entrepreneurship and Expansion Award 2025 (Female)” at the Akshaya Chef Award 2025, organised by the Malaysian Indian Chefs Association.
On Mother’s Day, Larissa has this message for single mothers like her: “Stay focused. Don’t give up. No matter how hard it is, don’t give up. Always remember that your children are looking at you. We are their pillar.
“If we can stand strong and show them that it’s okay, one day, when they become mothers, they will understand what it means to be strong mothers and to be a pillar for their own children.”
Follow Larissa Low on Instagram and Facebook. To enquire about her menu, send a WhatsApp message to 012-234 9206 or 017-867 9206.
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