Kyo Pang

Born and raised in Penang, Malaysia, Pang’s passion comes from her experiences as a child of restaurateurs of Baba Nyonya descent — a rich culinary and coffee tradition blending Chinese and Malaysian cooking with traces of European influence. Pang grew up immersed in the hustle and bustle of her family’s coffee shops and began opening up and running successful restaurants with her father at age 17. As a Malaysian refugee in New York, Pang loves bringing this culture, history, and cuisine to eaters in an accessible way.

Despite her family’s legacy, Pang first moved to New York City to study, and graduated from college with double majors in public relations and psychology. Post-graduation, she worked first in fashion, then in event planning at popular clubs such as Griffin, Green House, Hudson Terrace, and Marquee. Eventually, cooking for delighted friends and colleagues pulled her back into the restaurant business and Kyo opened her first iteration of Kopitiam in New York in 2015 with rapid success.