Ex-SQ stewardess finds love in Taiwan, now runs S’pore hawker stalls with chef husband while expecting first child
For many cabin crew members, stepping off the aircraft is just the beginning of a new journey.
Introducing Stomp’s new original series, Life After Landing, where we spotlight former flight attendants who have traded the skies for unexpected careers, pursued personal passions or navigated life-changing experiences after leaving the aviation industry.
Cherry Tan — better known online as Cherry Kiang — never thought that a waitressing stint in Taiwan would lead her to find love, start a hawker business, and embark on motherhood.
13 years after they first met, the former Singapore Airlines (SQ) air stewardess and her husband Duncan Hsu are now proud co-founders of Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki, serving Taiwanese-style western food.
The couple is also expecting their first child.
Despite an unlikely journey from ex-SQ stewardess to hawker, the business she started with her Taiwanese husband has expanded in just two years, drawing customers from every corner of the island to their stalls in Woodlands and Bedok.
When Stomp met Tan at her Woodlands stall, the former flight attendant was seven months into her first pregnancy — and still hard at work. Though she feels “very blessed” that her team can hold the fort at both outlets, it is evident that the 31-year-old is more than glad to help out with some light work and interact with customers.
The four-year long distance romance that started it all
Tan’s videos — posted on her TikTok and Instagram pages — depict the ups and downs of running a hawker business with her husband in a humourous manner.
It is easy to overlook that the married couple have come a long way since they met more than a decade ago in Taiwan, when Tan was just 19.
After studying Tourism and Resort Management at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, she was faced with a dilemma: join Singapore Airlines, or embark on a six-month overseas internship.
While being an air stewardess had always been her dream, the prospect of working overseas was tempting too.
“Somehow there’s this calling, this feeling, that I had to go on an overseas internship,” she recounted.
“I want to try living by myself at least once.”
Thus began her stint as a waitress in a hotel restaurant in Taiwan, where Hsu was working as a chef — and the rest is history.
“We had a long distance (relationship) for about four years after I left Taiwan,” she said.
When asked how the pair managed to maintain their relationship while living more than 3,000 kilometres apart, Tan burst into laughter.
“Actually, to be honest, long distance is way easier than having a normal relationship,” she said, chuckling.
“All I had to do is give (him) a call. You know it’s only for this person, and every time I see him, we’re always happy,” she added.
Flying is not all glitz and glam
After her internship in Taiwan ended, Tan went on to join Singapore Airlines and fulfill her dream of becoming an air stewardess.
Though she enjoyed travelling the world and “looking pretty” in the process, she told Stomp that the job is not all glitz and glamour.
“People think that cabin crew have a glamorous job. From the outside it looks like that, but (there’s) also all the hard work and sacrifices we make,” she said. Having to stay on her feet for long hours was one of the biggest challenges on the job.
While there were some overlaps between her relationship with Hsu and her time as an air stewardess from 2018 to 2024, Tan recalled being scheduled for a flight to Taipei only once in her six years of flying.
By then, Hsu had already moved to Singapore for work, closing the long-distance chapter of their relationship. They later got married in 2018.
From flying to frying
After flying with SQ for a few years, Tan began toying with the idea of switching careers, citing the limited career progression. She also knew she wanted to become a mother someday, forcing her to reconsider her air stewardess job so she would have more time with her family.
The catalyst for her eventual departure from her cabin crew gig in 2024, however, was her husband’s dream to start his own eatery in Singapore.
“He really wanted to start his own business and I think it’s very difficult for a foreigner to do everything by himself,” Tan explained. The English language and local administrative processes were two unfamiliar hurdles that Hsu needed to navigate.
“So I thought, okay lah, I’ll give him a helping hand,” she said.
Though reception has been largely positive since they opened, Tan shared that business has suffered from rising costs due to the Middle East war — costs that she and Hsu have borne.
“Ever since the price surge, we haven’t increased any of our prices. We’ll try to absorb it for as long as we can,” she said.
Pushing through despite the challenges
When asked if she missed flying, Tan replied in the affirmative — pointing out that her current earnings as a hawker stall owner vastly differ from the stable income she received as a stewardess.
“There are times business isn’t as good. Especially (this past June), business was so bad, both my outlets were not doing very well.”
“And then with a kid coming, sometimes you question yourself,” she pondered. That said, Tan admits it’s “nice” that as a business owner, she has “a lot of freedom”.
One thing that has kept them going, is the spiritual guidance they received in Taiwan. The couple consulted two different fortune tellers there, who each agreed that starting the hawker business was a good idea and it “will turn out well”.
“This business is like our first baby, so (we’ll keep going) for as long as we can sustain in this economy,” Tan said.
Though 2026 has proven challenging for the hawker couple, they are excited to see where life takes them once their child is born.
Tan told Stomp that she hopes to return to the hawker stall next year after adjusting to motherhood. The pair is already looking to start a new concept or open another Taiwanese teppanyaki outlet — with the baby’s help, she joked.
“Hopefully, the baby better start working soon! As soon as you can walk, come (to the stall) already!”
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