Meet Lya Samsuri | Founder of ‘Makan Buddy’, a Malaysian food service in Los Angeles

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lya Samsuri and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lya, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Makan Buddy was born in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020. At the time, I had just been furloughed and eventually let go by my former employer in the engineering field, so I had to quickly figure out a way to source an income as the bills did not stop coming, I turned to my #1 passion in life, which was food — cooking and preparing food in the kitchen had always been therapeutic for me, so I thought, why not try to monetize it in some way and just give it a shot.

What should our readers know about your business?
When I started Makan Buddy, I had one vision: to bring back food nostalgia to the Malaysians living in Los Angeles as well as to ignite a food adventure spark in the locals’ palate with authentic and unique Malaysian cuisine. Of course, in doing that, I would have to figure out a way to set myself apart from the other pandemic-born online vendors — and I fortunately found it really early in the game: I should curate a different menu every week so customers can keep enjoying Malaysian cuisine without getting bored (and to keep me from getting bored of cooking the same food each week). This was a win-win solution because not only my customers were engaged and invested in what Makan Buddy had to offer each week, but it also created a competitive advantage with the other online vendors who eventually caught on and were motivated to apply the same concept. However, Makan Buddy strived to connect the Malaysians who are living in Los Angeles with the food culture and traditions that exist back home, which was present in our product offerings and customer engagement both online and offline.

To celebrate our 1st birthday, we had organized a fundraiser in Downtown Los Angeles in partnership with a Malaysian non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) called ‘MyMahu’ that would aid in providing 60 families who were affected by COVID-19-related lockdown with daily essentials and sustenance. Word got out and we even received generous donations from the customers who could not attend the fundraiser in person. By the end of the event, we were humbled by the tremendous support that aided 83 families (13 families above the expected initial number) in Malaysia. This was an exceptional achievement with the help of many powerful and influential parties, including the Consulate General of Malaysia in Los Angeles. This year, we plan to do the same for our 2nd anniversary.

All in all, I have learned that my customers appreciate authenticity and honesty, and that great, positive energy will attract likeminded energy in return. Therefore, staying true to my vision of assimilating Malaysian food culture into the already highly competitive food scene in Los Angeles will always be my #1 goal with Makan Buddy. Transitioning from the engineering world to the food and business worlds was not an easy feat, but I managed to navigate it all with the continuous help and support from my fiancé, Justin. With his experience in business and digital marketing, I was able to integrate my engineer brain (that breaks apart systems and processes with trial-and-error analyses) into my growing food business (whereby I still adopt the learn-as-I-go mentality). We truly make a great team, Justin and I.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As a major foodie, the answer to this question comes easy to me as my sister is actually visiting me from Malaysia right now so I have been showing her my favorite spots in the city, which include the following (most of them are small mom-and-pops shops, support small businesses!):

– Brunch: ‘Blu Jam Cafe’. Simply a must-go for brunch in Los Angeles, no other place can beat it! Their Crunchy French Toast and Huevos Rancheros are my personal favorites!

– Authentic Thai: ‘Top Thai Cuisine, Reseda’ and ‘Wat Dong Moon Lek Noodle, East Hollywood’. Having lived in Malaysia for most of my life, I have always frequented our neighbor country, Thailand, growing up. However, many Thai restaurants in Los Angeles unfortunately do not offer authentic Thai dishes that would immediately transport me back to Thailand, except for these 2 spots! Their Pad Thai, Spicy Glass Noodles Pad Thai, Tom Kha Soup, and Iced Lime Thai Tea are my personal favorites!

– Cajun Seafood Boil: ‘Kickin’ Kasian, Northridge’. Beats all the other hyped-up chains (you know which ones I’m talking about) any day! Their Traditional Shrimp with Kickin’ Mix Sauce (Spicy level but try Inferno I if you are feeling naughty!), Kasian Fries (Medium level), Fried Okra, and Honey Almond Palmer are my personal favorites!

– Mexican: ‘Salsa & Beer’. Better Mexican food than what I have in Mexico every time I go to Mexico — what more can I say. Their Taquito Plate, Combo Fajitas Plate, and Salsa Bar are my personal favorites!

– Mini Golf & Batting Cage: ‘Sherman Oaks Castle Park, Sherman Oaks’. They have an indoor arcade, outdoor batting cages and outdoor mini golf with 3 different courses (I prefer to go at night!) — a great time with family and friends!

– Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich: ‘Howlin’ Ray’s’. 100% more flavorful than the ‘famous’ hot chicken sandwich chain that is popping up everywhere, hands down! The experience of dining in there is like no other — the friendliest and entertaining crew members. Try their Hot level if you are feeling naughty!

– Korean BBQ: ‘Meat Love Korean BBQ, Koreatown’ (a more affordable all-you-can-eat, AYCE), and ‘Jjukku Jjukku, Koreatown’ (a more boujee AYCE). Try their Marinated Beef Fingers, Marinated LA Short Ribs, Bulgogi, Korean Lunch Box, and Soups for a great time!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my #1 partner, fan, supporter, and cheerleader: Justin Choy, my beloved fiancé. He has been by my side for 11 years today and I would not have been able to achieve great things without his support and encouragement. He deserves more than a little credit and recognition in my story because my success is literally his success. He was there for me when life knocked me down the same way he was there for me when life gave me lemons. Through my struggles of establishing my footing in my career, he had never complained about being the one to hold me up, or when he had to shield me from the storm that was life, he was my rock and my motivation to keep going, to keep trying. He was ready to lift me up when I was feeling down, and he was there to soothe me when I was feeling burnt out. I was able to navigate the ups and downs of business with his strong-willed, brilliant mind and strength. Through it all, Justin has been my best team member, partner, and supporter from the day I started Makan Buddy to the day the business expanded to what it is today.

Website: www.makanbuddyofficial.com

Instagram: @makanbuddyofficial

Facebook: @makanbuddyofficial

Image Credits
Makan Buddy