Tan Kue Kim
{{Short description|Singaporean chef and restaurateur (died 2024)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox chef
| name = Tan Kue Kim
| image = File:Tan Kue Kim.jpeg
| birth_date = 1945 or 1946
| death_date = 14 February 2024 (aged 78)
| children = 3
}}
Tan Kue Kim ({{zh|s=陈贵金|p=Chén Guìjīn|poj=Tân Kùi-kim}}; 1945/1946 – 14 February 2024) was a Singaporean chef and restaurateur who specialised in Hokkien mee.
Early life
Tan grew up in an impoverished household in Bedok; his father worked at a rubber plantation.{{cite news|title=He fried his way to millions|first=Abdul|last=Shukor|page=5|newspaper=The New Paper|date=20 March 1993}} Tan dropped out of primary school in his fifth year to assist his uncle in his food business.{{cite news|title=From humble restaurant to a four-storey building|newspaper=Weekend East|date=11 November 1993|page=23}}
Career
Under the guidance of his eldest cousin, Tan began frying Hokkien mee (a Singaporean noodle dish) in the 1960s. He established his first Hokkien mee stall in 1971, before starting his own restaurant in 1986 whose expanded menu featured items such as black pepper crab and fish maw soup.{{cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/rolex-wearing-hawker-of-kim-s-famous-fried-hokkien-prawn-mee-dies-at-78|title=Rolex-wearing hawker of Kim's Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee dies at 78|first=Cherie|last=Lok|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=16 February 2024}}
Tan became known for cooking while wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a S$40,000 gold Rolex watch, which earned him the moniker "kim chiu pio" ({{lang-zh|c={{linktext|金|手錶}}|poj=kim chhiú-pio|labels=no}}; "golden watch" in Hokkien).{{cite news|url=https://www.todayonline.com/8days/rolex-wearing-kims-hokkien-prawn-mee-hawker-falls-out-son-over-business-spat-2248041|first=Jieying|last=Yip|date=6 September 2023|newspaper=Today|title=Rolex-wearing Kim's Hokkien prawn mee hawker falls out with son over business spat}} The New Paper writer Abdul Shukor claimed that Tan was "one of Singapore's best known and most successful hawkers." Local food critic Margaret Chan described Tan's Hokkien mee as having "a no-holds-barred punch", but without "the ensuing feeling of surfeit" associated with other versions of the dish that involve generous portions of lard.{{cite news|first=Margaret|last=Chan|title=Hokkien meet that is outstanding|newspaper=The Straits Times|page=4|date=25 May 1986}}
In 1989, Tan opened Kim's Seafood Restaurant in Geylang, which ceased operations in 1996. He subsequently relocated his business to Ang Mo Kio, before settling down for good at Jalan Eunos in 2002. In 2017, Tan was listed by KF Seetoh as one of the "Top 50 World Street Food Masters".
Personal life
Tan was a car enthusiast who owned several sports cars in his lifetime, including a Lotus Esprit.{{cite news|title=
Dressed-up hawker|first=Swee Hong|last=Lim|date=26 July 1988|page=36|newspaper=The New Paper}} He was married and had two sons, one daughter, and four grandchildren. Tan lived with his family in a three-storey semi-detached house in Lorong Mydin in Changi Road.{{cite news|title=From an HDB to a semi-D|date=20 March 1993|page=6|newspaper=The New Paper|first=Abdul|last=Shukor}} On 14 February 2024, Tan died of a heart attack, aged 78.