Meet Our Chef
CHEF DAVE
Chef Dave was born in 1991 in Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia. He went to secondary school in SMK Seri Jementah, then pursued a Diploma in Hospitality Management (Food Services) at TAR College, Kampar. He then got an opportunity to continue with a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management in Liverpool John Moores University, UK then MBA at Trinity Saint David University, Wales. In 2021, he completed his Diploma in Vegan Cooking and is currently doing Diploma in Plant Based Nutrition at Centre of Excellence.
Chef Dave has an experience of 10 years working with top companies in the industry namely Shangri-La Hotels and Resort and Disney Cruise line. His stint on the high seas was, however, abruptly cut short due to the onslaught of the Covid pandemic. Finding himself jobless, he wasted no time in taking his culinary skills online by creating content for YouTube and Facebook called ChefDave VeganJourney. It is a compilation of local heritage food cooking recipe tutorials, albeit in a vegan version.
The platform is also a social company located in Malaysia dedicated to advocating Vegan lifestyle and Animal Rights by making it simple to do so through social media content with Food, Life, and Travel. In 2020, he set up D’Vegan Academy to empower home-based cooks to master basic cooking techniques and plant based cooking. In the same year, he set up PB Health, a social enterprise dedicated to help Malaysians to improve their health through whole-food plant based food.
CHEF DAVE
Chef Dave was born in 1991 in Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia. He went to secondary school in SMK Seri Jementah, then pursued a Diploma in Hospitality Management (Food Services) at TAR College, Kampar. He then got an opportunity to continue with a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management in Liverpool John Moores University, UK then MBA at Trinity Saint David University, Wales. In 2021, he completed his Diploma in Vegan Cooking and is currently doing Diploma in Plant Based Nutrition at Centre of Excellence.
Chef Dave has an experience of 10 years working with top companies in the industry namely Shangri-La Hotels and Resort and Disney Cruise line. His stint on the high seas was, however, abruptly cut short due to the onslaught of the Covid pandemic. Finding himself jobless, he wasted no time in taking his culinary skills online by creating content for YouTube and Facebook called ChefDave VeganJourney. It is a compilation of local heritage food cooking recipe tutorials, albeit in a vegan version.
The platform is also a social company located in Malaysia dedicated to advocating Vegan lifestyle and Animal Rights by making it simple to do so through social media content with Food, Life, and Travel. In 2020, he set up D’Vegan Academy to empower home-based cooks to master basic cooking techniques and plant based cooking. In the same year, he set up PB Health, a social enterprise dedicated to help Malaysians to improve their health through whole-food plant based food.
He is also one of the Malaysian Celebrity Chef in Masters of Malaysian Cuisine coalition promoting Veganized Malaysian cuisine to international audiences. He is currently working on veganizing the traditional Malaysian food in order to demonstrate to the rest of the globe that becoming a vegan is much easier than you might believe. Chef Dave concedes that he has achieved far more than what he ever expected. Each time someone comes up to him to say that the online vegan videos have impacted their life is a totally fulfilling moment. And he has had many such moments.
He has also helped change many people’s perception towards vegan food and estimates that at least 300 people have switched to vegan after viewing his videos. Chef Dave held around 70 successful online classes and workshops over the course of two years and his following on social media has breached the one million mark. He has appeared on Astro Awani, Vaanavil, RTM and Vinmeen talk and cooking shows where he advocated the vegan or plant based healthy lifestyle.
Afterall, the first magic moment goes back to his childhood when he used to peel onions for his grandma. He could not have foreseen it then but it was to be the launching point to his career. The other magic moment was when his father objected to his choice of career in culinary arts. The rest of his family were supportive of it and he went on to pursue it. Today, his father could not be more proud of him for what he has accomplished.
Public Recognition
Public Recognition
Media Coverage
Media Coverage
FAQs
FAQs
Kalidevan Murugaya better known as Chef Dave on social media.
29 years old.
Born in Sibu, Sarawak and grew up in Jementah, a small town in Segamat, Johor.
Currently, I live in Kuala Lumpur.
Founder of ChefDave VeganJourney, a social enterprise based in Malaysia dedicated to advocate Vegan lifestyle and Animal Rights by making it easy through social media content surrounding topics of Vegan Food, Life and Travel.
Founding members of PB Health, a social enterprise based in Malaysia dedicated to improving people’s health by making it easy to transit to a plant-based diet.
Founder of D’VEGAN ACADEMY [Chef Dave’s Malaysian Plant Based Cuisine Academy], an online cooking academy dedicated to educate and help Malaysian home cooks get equipped with knowledge and skills about Malaysian plant based cuisine.
I have started cooking from the age of five (5).
Inspired by my grandmother and mum. I used to help them in the kitchen when I was young. That is how it all started.
Yes. I am a professionally trained chef in culinary school, completed my Diploma in Hospitality Management (Food Service) at Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Kampar, Perak. Further my studies at John Moores University, Liverpool, UK and completed my bachelor’s degree in tourism, leisure and hospitality management.
Completed my MBA from Trinity Saint David University, Wales in 2018 while working as a chef here in Kuala Lumpur. Recently just completed my Vegan cooking diploma with Center of Excellence, UK and currently doing a Plant Based Nutrition Diploma with the same school.
As a person who passionate about food since young able to work with prestigious company in the industry like Shangri-la group of hotels and resort and Disney cruise line was awesome experience. It helps to train me to be a professional chef working and trained under experienced chef from different expertise and background locally and internationally. Got opportunity to work with executive chefs and Michelin star chefs from different part of the world. Besides, worked with colleagues from more than 60 countries especially when I was working on cruise.
This incident happens accidentally while I was scrolling my Facebook and come across videos about the cruelty happening in egg industry and dairy industry. At first, I don’t really want to believe what I watched is the truth till I try to do more studies online, looking into different documentaries and studies.
At the end, I realised it is something consider as normal in the animal agriculture and I was shocked and upset but have no idea what I can do. After a couple of days, I come across Arvind Animal Activist YouTube video, a 45-minute lecture about why we should go vegan, basically that video explains all and I make peace with myself that I want to be part of the solution for a better world and future.
Frankly speaking easy or not I believe it depends on what is the value you believe in your life, personally I’m a person who believe in love and justice so for me it was not hard because basically I’m just make my value and beliefs into action and life. But as a human when we need to transit to a new thing it will be difficult or not used to it, I just spend sometimes during early days of vegan to study more about some basic nutrition and things that I must be aware as a vegan.
Veganism is a social justice movement which seeks to exclude as far as it is possible and practicable all form of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose, and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.
There are many ways to embrace vegan living. Yet one thing all vegans have in common is a plant-based diet avoiding all animal foods such as meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and honey as well as avoiding animal-derived materials, products tested on animals and places that use animals for entertainment.
Mainly why I started the channel is because of Arvind Animal Activist, I become a vegan after watching his channel and I felt through sharing my vegan journey might inspire others to go vegan too or at least educated public about vegan lifestyle through lifestyle sharing, recipes and vlogs.
I believe being vegan is the least thing I can do in my life to practice my beliefs and values, let the message of love and justice not only be a cliché or words that we believe in but something that we can live out through our action and life. I make peace with my life and inner self being a vegan.
I have made over 100 recipes on YouTube and over 150 recipes on my Facebook page for the past 1 and half year, everything is veganised Malaysian food. There are not many challenges to turn a non-vegan food to be vegan, there is so much vegan alternative available in Malaysia. In fact, many Malaysian foods by default are vegan, and that’s how our ancestor use to enjoy their food. Those days they don’t eat meat every day to get their protein and they live healthy and long life.
By God grace it has been amazing, within 1 and half year we have more than 330000 people following us across our social media from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter to TikTok. Most memorable moment is when my mee goreng mamak live on Facebook went viral and gained 1.6M views and it was my first video went viral.
My advice is asking yourself what is your big why, why you want to be a vegan at the first place, if you understand and clear about your intention that thing itself will drive you to continue your journey being a vegan, even you feel like giving up you have a clear message why you started at the first place.
Absolutely easy, affordable, and sustainable if you choose to be vegan in Malaysia, there are so many options out there from cheaper price range to luxury price range, try to avoid looking at imported processed vegan products then you will never complaint vegan food is expensive. I still buy my groceries from supermarket like NSK, giant and Tesco. I still buy my vegetable and fruits from local morning market.
I hope the local food industry that produce Milk, Cheese, Yogurt, etc will consider producing vegan friendly products too like plant-based milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream etc so that vegans have more option with cheaper price compared to those imported products. Basically, many complaints about vegan food are expensive is because of all these imported items.
Across the history human have protested sexism, racism, heterosexist, ableism, ageism etc. This is what makes humanity progress. Unfortunately, animals cannot protest speciesism. Why don’t we do it all together to make this world a better place? Be a voice for the animals and stand in solidarity with them. At the end of the day, we have one common goal, which is to end discrimination and injustice for all. My only wish is to see more Malaysian choose to cook more plant-based food at home and for that I will work hard to do my best to serve the community with all my future take and everything I do.