Ivan Chong Han – Owner of Cotta KL
In this interview, Ivan Chong Han, owner of Cotta KL, tells about some of the challenges and joys of being a small business owner.
What do you do?
I am the owner of Cotta. We specialise in making fresh ricotta daily; it’s the heart of our menu.
How did you get into the industry?
I got into F&B through a series of unfortunate events. I lost my previous company shortly after COVID-19 hit, and it was one of the toughest periods of my life. Recovering from that loss wasn’t easy, but I knew I had to rebuild, and I would lean on the things that made me happy: cooking, photography, connecting with people, and teaching. That passion would eventually lead me to start Cotta.
Tell us a story from behind the scenes.
We were a two- to three-person team when we started, and we worked very closely. It was a special time because I would use this time to really share my values and vision with them (not just as a boss but as someone building something for all of us). Over time, I now see them carry those values forward, and they’re even passing it down to the new team members. Watching them lead and do things better than I did is one of the most beautiful things, and it’s truly special to see. (my team is now 17 people strong).
What food memory from your childhood or travels stands out?
The first time I cooked my own bowl of instant noodles (at probably seven years old?). As a kid, I was always hungry (especially late at night), and I loved my midnight snacks, but my mom wasn’t so thrilled about having to stop what she was doing to cook for me.
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
My mom taught me how to cook my first “Maggi” so she’d never have to do it again (supervised, of course), but I remember feeling so proud and independent. This is probably the moment that kickstarted my love for cooking.
What’s the best/ worst part of your job?
The hardest part of the job is pretending everything’s under control – even when I have no idea what kind of day we will have. Some days are quiet, and they’re the worst. The team will start to worry if the food they spent hours preparing will go to waste? Are their jobs safe? Is this the right place for them? And I have to be the one to look confident and say everything’s going to be okay and we’ll do better tomorrow. Keeping everyone motivated (when I’m shaking inside) is probably the toughest part.
On the flip side, the best part of the job is seeing Cotta feel alive when we have a full house, the team working harmoniously, and our customers absorbing the hard work and love we’ve put in!
One of Ivan Chong Han’s favourite food and beverage pairings?
A super ice-cold pint of “Tiger” and deep-fried chicken. Beautiful after a long, hot day.
What’s one of the most outrageous things you’ve seen behind the scenes?
The most outrageous experience I ever had in my life was when we had a full-blown “poo waterfall” erupt in the middle of our restaurant. Our old Cotta was on the mezzanine floor of a really old building. The pipes were meant for light commercial use (but the tenants upstairs had illegally converted their units into an overcrowded hostel with kitchens and tons of people, and they flushed everything down this tiny sewer line that was never built for that kind of abuse).
One day, it all got stuck, and it happened right at my level. Four floors of backed-up sewage exploded out of our toilet (like the elevator scene from “The Shining”), spilling across the floor into the dining area and flooding the entire restaurant. Only for it to become this morbidly beautiful waterfall, continuing wraith into the unit below us and then eventually out to the main road and down the slope.
It was absolute hell. The smell, the view and the heavy feeling in your heart knowing that you’re the only person who can do it and you’ll have to roll up your pants and get in it… I became a man that day.
Fun fact: it happened twice.
The perfect day off would be…
A day where nothing went wrong. I’ve been conditioned to appreciate the little things in life.
A day in the life of Ivan Chong Han is…
Exciting, fun, and beautiful. We meet amazing people with incredible journeys each and every day at Cotta, and it’s always exciting to see who we’ll meet today. I call all my “problems” challenges, and it’s always fun to find a smart way to solve these issues. Beautiful because you only get to experience it once in a lifetime.
What does Ivan Chong Han do for fun?
I used to spend my free time riding motorcycles, but I had to let that go to start Cotta. Now, I tag along with Monica from The Yum List. I’m her self-coined “reel-o-grapher”—basically, I document our visits to all these amazing F&B spots around KL and turn that footage into reels, which she then uses to help businesses grow their presence. In essence, I get to eat good food, and I make a video in exchange for it. I love it.
What would you like guests to know about Cotta?
It’s called “Cotta” because we make fresh ri-cotta every day!
How have you grown in your profession? What have you learned from your start in the industry until now? Are there any misconceptions
People are everything. If customers don’t walk through the door, we don’t make any money. And if I didn’t have my team, there’d be no one to serve those customers. People are the heart of this business and the hardest part to manage. It takes so much work to build these relationships.
A common misconception is that your product will speak for itself—it should only be a small part of the story. Understanding, appreciating, and connecting with the people who support your product is where the real value lies.
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve overcome?
Accepting that I can’t control everything. Running a business is a lot like sailing. You can build the boat, hire the crew, and set the direction, but you can’t control the wind. You can plan, prepare, and steer as best you can, but at some point, you have to let go of control and adapt to whatever comes your way. Learning to be okay with that uncertainty has been one of the toughest but most important lessons.
What would you like people to know about running a restaurant as a profession?
Initially, it will feel like your product is everything – and it is to a point. But once you get past those early milestones, what really makes or breaks a restaurant isn’t just the food. It’s your systems, your SOPs, cash flow management, people, inventory, scalability and planning for the future of your business and your team.
Running a restaurant is running a business. If you only invest in your product and ignore everything else, these cracks will soon fracture and could destroy the whole foundation.
What’s your view on the F&B scene in Kuala Lumpur?
Super “red-ocean” and we need to get away from it. Everyone’s doing what’s most profitable these days. Remember the boom of doughnuts, bubble tea, Chinese hot pot and now (not F&B related) pickleball courts? You should never put yourself in a position where your “price” is what drives customers to you. Instead, think about what the neighbourhood needs? What can you do to complement the existing businesses and communities there? Find your “blue ocean”.
What are the top three things you like to do in the city you live in?
1. Discovering what new restaurants have popped up in my neighbourhood.
2. Visiting waterfalls outside of KL. Kancing Falls is very nice, considering it’s only 30 minutes away.
3. Shopping at Genting Premium Outlet because of #savings. Lots of good food there too!
What practices do you currently implement or hope to implement to work towards social responsibility and sustainability in the future
We’re trying to get even more use out of our ingredients. For example, we use the juice of our lemons to make our ricotta. The peels get turned into our amazing “Sorry KJ Lemonade.” What can we use the pulp for? We started “lacto-fermenting” the vegetables that are going past their prime. We would love to get our hands on a freeze dryer to repurpose/extend the shelf life of our products. It never ends.
What future plans do you have for your brand?
We’re gonna grow! We spent the last four years nailing down y/y growth, our menu, SOPs, systems, training and consistency. We’ve built an amazing legacy team. We’ve also got some savings and are ready for the next Cotta (I plan to call it Cotta Cotta – convince me otherwise). We’re now looking for a next location, preferably an office or touristy area. I’m very thankful that we can make it so far, so long. We’ve got the best customers, and the future is bright for Cotta ❤️
Read more interviews like this one with Ivan Chong Han and learn about careers in the hospitality industry here, and stay up-to-date on the latest gourmet and travel happenings around Asia via The Yum List on Instagram and The Yum List on Facebook.