Why Chronos Chan puts seaweed, soy sauce and Sichuan pepper in gelato – and what drives his unusual creations

The 51-year-old former engineer first took up gelato-making more than 20 years ago as a side hustle. It has since become a lifelong passion, one that he continues to pursue through teaching and his home-based business, Ethos Gelato Lab.

Mr Chronos Chan, co-founder of Tom’s Palette and now running Ethos Gelato Lab, making gelato at home on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

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At fruit wholesaler Pawfect Fruit in Hillview, among the unique offerings such as tiger lemons and Kissabel apples, I couldn't hold back my excitement when I spied my favourite fruit: persimmons.

My companion, Mr Chronos Chan, readily mirrored my enthusiasm. Just like that, our respective roles of journalist and interview subject flipped.

"What crosses your mind when you think of persimmons?" he asked. "Anything you've eaten before that pairs with it, like a dessert? Or do you eat it by itself?"

I described my failure to make a flavourful persimmon bread at home and confessed that I've always dreamt about pairing a panna cotta with the autumnal fruit.

Mr Chan instantly nodded.

"If that's the case, you can do an egg base. Then the persimmons, you can slow poach them and maintain the kind of texture you can bite on. And whatever juice is coming out, you can mix with a thickening sauce and layer them in the gelato."

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The produce room at the wholesaler was icy cold, at just 3°C. Yet, clad in just a T-shirt, Mr Chan seemed completely unbothered by the freezing air that would have anyone thinking of hot, hearty soup instead of ice cream.

Watching the 51-year-old chatter on about whether persimmons would make for a better sorbet instead, it was easy to see the singular passion that drove him to set up Tom's Palette more than two decades ago.

The Singapore gelato brand, which has become a cult favourite for its unique flavours, recently announced the upcoming closure of both its Bugis and Kovan branches in October .

Mr Chan parted ways with the business in 2023. Nevertheless, he has not stopped trying to recreate memories people can relate to through inspired gelato and sorbet offerings.

He now does this out of his home-based outfit Ethos Gelato Lab, which sells small batches of gelato using premium ingredients such as Shine Muscat, a variety of large, sweet green grapes.

His ice cream is sold online via a website and over social media, with customers collecting orders from his home or opting for delivery.

He also regularly collaborates with artisans in Singapore to create unique flavours such as Moosushio, a caramel blend with Japanese and Chinese soy sauces.

"I find that, these days, in the market, all the gelatos are pretty similar," Mr Chan said.

"I want to use Ethos as a platform to show what other things can be done and (new) flavours can be created."

MAKING CONNECTIONS THROUGH TASTE

When I visited him at his Bukit Batok home the next day, Mr Chan was just completing a batch of Apple Pie gelato – a revamped recipe from his Tom's Palette days.

He had thickened the cinnamon-infused gelato base in one of his industrial fridges overnight.

He also showed me the sweet Envy and tart Granny Smith apples he had used for the spiced apple filling, spoils from his last visit to wholesaler Pawfect Fruit.

Instead of opting for ready-made biscuits for the crumble, he had baked his own speculoos – crisp, spiced biscuits – to achieve a firmer, crunchier texture.

Mr Chronos Chan, co-founder of Tom’s Palette and now running Ethos Gelato Lab, sourcing for fruits at wholesaler Pawfect Fruit, to use as ingredients to make gelato, on Sep 18, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

It all felt rather intimidating to me, but Mr Chan waved off my expressions of awe.

"It's not really difficult. Adjusting to what you want is the tricky part," he said.

For instance, not everyone will prefer the same type or intensity of spice in the filling.

Mr Chan favours a specific ratio of nutmeg, two kinds of ginger and a pinch of Sichuan pepper.

After two decades in the food-and-beverage (F&B) industry, he has come to believe that making good food is ultimately about connecting with people.

For example, one of his creations is named The Corn I Remember, a corn gelato inspired by corn potong (a traditional block-shaped popsicle) and roadside buttered corn from his childhood.

In his spare time, Mr Chan is also an instructor with Italy's Carpigiani Gelato University, teaching courses across Southeast Asia.

He frequently visits Manila and Ho Chi Minh City, where he imparts his knowledge to budding F&B business owners there.

Often, he flies in a day early so he can visit the markets to check out new food items and flavours, and learn from the residents there.

For instance, every gelato product he makes is now finished with asin tibuok, a Filipino sea salt that a chef introduced to him.

Mr Chronos Chan, co-founder of Tom’s Palette and now running Ethos Gelato Lab, holding up a chunk of asin tibuok, a Filipino sea salt that a chef introduced to him, on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

Mr Chronos Chan teaching a class in Vietnam as an instructor for Carpigiani Gelato University. (Photo: Chronos Chan)

He recalled another trip where he asked some Vietnamese students why dragonfruit was so popular there despite its relative blandness.

To his surprise, they told him that it wasn't about the fruit at all.

"They want to help the farmers who are not making a lot of money. They really want to support them, so they make smoothies and gelatos with the fruit.

"By understanding that, you understand how people live, their mindset, their culture."

FROM ENGINEERING TO GELATO

Ironically, Mr Chan doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, which explains his penchant for savoury mix-ins in his gelato products.

He has always been a curious and adventurous eater, though, even as a child. Nothing was off the table, not even insects and bugs.

"I know I might not like it, but I will still make an effort to try and understand the flavour and taste," he said staunchly.

Right after completing National Service in 1996, he found work in a printing company. After four years of that, he quit to pursue further studies in mechanical engineering in Brisbane, Australia.

There, he came across Cold Stone Creamery, a chain known for mixing ice cream with chopped toppings on a cold slab.

Inspired to start his own ice-cream business back in Singapore, he spent a year trying to develop a cold slab that could work in a humid climate, while working at electronics firm Panasonic as a research and development (R&D) engineer.

He eventually abandoned that business idea, but not the ice cream.

After he and his wife learnt the basics of gelato making from a chef friend, they eventually started Tom's Palette in 2005.

Mr Chan named the venture after his friend from polytechnic, who had cautioned him about the sacrifices needed to start an ice-cream business.

The early years of starting any business can be rough, but the strain was twofold since he still held on to his day job with Panasonic.

Five days a week, he awoke early in the morning to get to his Bedok workplace on time from his Bukit Batok home.

After clocking out, he hustled to Tom's Palette on Beach Road in the city area to serve customers and make the next day's gelato until well past midnight. He also spent all his weekends at the shop.

"To be honest, I don't know how I survived those days," Mr Chan said, estimating that he was catching just four to five hours of sleep daily.

Business was sparse in the original shop at Shaw Tower, with Mr Chan selling only a few cups a day. So he began playing around with new flavours and tastes.

The earliest of his innovations was named Granny's Favourite – a chocolate malt ice cream with cookie dough chunks that has since become a Tom's Palette signature.

This flavour, Mr Chan said, was inspired by an older woman running a successful cookie shop out of the unit next door.

A tub of Granny’s Favourite ice cream pictured on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

A tub of Osmanthus Lotus Crunch ice cream, a flavour that Ethos Gelato Lab launched for the Mid-Autumn Festival, pictured on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

A tub of Apple Pie ice cream sold by Ethos Gelato Lab, pictured on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

Having no formal ice-cream education, he and his wife Eunice Soon had fewer rules about what they could or couldn't put into gelato.

"When you learn from the school, the teacher will tell you, 'Don't do this' … We will just do it, and when things fail, we'll ask ourselves, 'What's wrong with it? Why can't we use seaweed in gelato?'

"That is why we can do all sorts of flavours … flavours that catch people by surprise."

Their experimental offerings soon caught the attention of newspapers and magazines here.

With the increased coverage, business rapidly improved and Mr Chan quit his engineering job to make gelato full-time.

Despite all they were investing into researching and developing new flavours, they strove to keep their offerings as affordable as possible.

Prices started at just S$2.80 for the smallest-sized cup, and customers were free to fit two flavours in any sized cup.

Samples were also encouraged, with no limits.

Tom Palette's first shop at Shaw Tower along Beach Road. For seating, the unit had space for just a counter and five stools at the time. (Photo: Facebook/Eunice Soon)

The shopfront of Tom's Palette at Shaw Tower after a renovation. (Photo: Facebook/Tom's Palette).

Mr Chronos Chan at Tom's Palette outlet after it moved to a shop unit along Middle Road, serving customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: Facebook/Tom’s Palette)

Looking back at how the shop grew over the years, we pored over photo after photo of Tom's Palette's milestones, mostly documented by food blogs online – from its first store at Shaw Tower to its move to Middle Road and a second outlet in Kovan.

Midway through reminiscing about the shop's early days at Shaw Tower, when it had just five stools for seats and "very kiddy" posters, he abruptly paused.

"It's very emotional," he said, his voice heavy.

In 2023, Mr Chan sold the business because he disagreed with the direction that a new investor wanted to take with the brand – a decision that was especially painful at the start.

"No matter what, Tom's has been with me for almost 20 years," he said.

It took him "quite a long time" to even begin to move on – about six months to a year.

After leaving Tom's Palette, Mr Chan did R&D for an ice-cream business in Singapore.

The gig had him sitting in the office to come up with new flavours – a process that was not to his taste. So he left after just a few months.

At first, Mr Chan planned to focus on teaching rather than start another business. But old customers kept asking him to recreate their favourite flavours.

That eventually led to the birth of Ethos Gelato Lab in 2025, through which Mr Chan has sold more than 70 flavours.

These include a small range of house favourites such as Brandy & Raisin as well as surprise releases of limited-edition flavours each Monday.

Mr Chronos Chan, co-founder of Tom’s Palette and now running Ethos Gelato Lab, adding asin tibuok, a Filipino sea salt that a chef introduced to him, into the gelato base he made at home on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

Mr Chronos Chan, co-founder of Tom’s Palette and now running Ethos Gelato Lab, pouring in the mixture he prepared into a gelato machine on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

Tubs of gelato made by Mr Chronos Chan are kept in his refrigerator at home. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

Although his livelihood depended on his unique flavours, Mr Chan is not at all precious about his recipes.

As expected of a seasoned teacher, he quickly and efficiently broke down his steps and named the ingredients while mixing up another batch of gelato in his home kitchen.

"A recipe doesn't really have any value … it's just words. What is important is the person is doing it – if they are finding ways to improve it, to be better."

Some observers may see Singapore's F&B landscape as being overcrowded , but Mr Chan does not feel concerned about his place in the gelato market. "It's precisely because everyone is doing the same thing that the competition is there. But because of this, people will just choose whichever is nearer or cheaper."

This is why he places a premium on uniqueness and creativity.

One of his most complicated flavours to date was one inspired by nasi lemak. That involved a time-consuming process of cutting lemongrass, cooking pandan, grinding up anchovies and balancing spices with white chocolate to evoke the flavour of the iconic dish.

Another of his most outlandish creations from his Tom’s Palette days was cipolla, which means onion in Italian and featured caramelised onion.

Instead of using a label to identify or explain the flavour, he encouraged customers to try it for themselves and guess what it was.

He recalled one man who asked for sample after sample, finding the taste familiar but impossible to pinpoint.

“I think he spent half his lunch time tasting and guessing it,” Mr Chan said with a laugh.

"I like to make flavours that catch people by surprise, like kueh bangkit (a coconut and tapioca flour cookie).

"People say, 'Oh, kueh bangkit, I know what that tastes like'. But when you put it in your mouth and taste it … it really wows you."

CARRYING THE ETHOS OF TOM'S PALETTE

Mr Chan hopes that Ethos will carry forward what he valued most about Tom's Palette: a heartfelt connection with customers.

"The Tom's Palette that I know is one that interacts with people, creates flavours from our heart and soul."

But keeping that spirit alive is a lofty endeavour for just one man.

He has to single-handedly manage gelato orders, his overseas teaching schedule and customers on social media, where he's inundated with requests for new or older flavours.

On the whiteboard next to his workstation is a short list of the top-most requested flavours that customers and former employees have clamoured for him to bring back – Savoury Crunch, Milk, White Chocolate Nori and more.

Stickers showing the gelato flavours that Mr Chronos Chan has created so far in 2026 are stuck on his refrigerator at home. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

Despite the overwhelmingly positive response from his loyal customers, Mr Chan said that there is no flavour of his that he considers perfect.

Even when remaking old flavours, he nitpicks over every aspect from ingredient quality to the mouthfeel of the final product.

"Eating gelato is not only about flavour, it's about the experience," he said.

In his view, a good gelato's flavour and aroma should hit one's senses within three seconds.

He once threw away a whole batch of Granny's Favourite because he thought it wasn't up to scratch – 10 whole litres of it.

At the same time, he is always looking for ideas and coming up with new concepts.

He takes pains to keep learning more from various disciplines in the F&B industry. The shelves at his home where he runs his gelato lab are lined with cookbooks on all types of food, from desserts to barbecue.

For now, Mr Chan is happy running Ethos as a home-based business. However, there are still things he misses about running a physical shop.

Since news broke in August of the impending closure of Tom's Palette, there has been an outpouring of nostalgia for the brand online.

Several former customers, upon learning that Mr Chan had long departed from the business, reached out to share memories of visiting Tom's Palette during their school days or while dating their current spouses.

"I'm very grateful that after so many years, customers are still messaging me (about these memories)," he said.

He recalled one woman who wanted to gift her husband a visit to the shop, one of his favourite haunts during his university days. She asked for a reservation for two.

Mr Chan had to tell her, rather bemusedly, that there was no need to reserve a table at his shop.

"It's really a place that people grew up with," he said, smiling fondly.

Eating gelato is not only about flavour, it's about the experience.

From his home kitchen, he now hopes to recreate the service he once provided over the physical counter at Tom's Palette.

He responds personally to flavour requests and slips handwritten notes into every order, explaining a little about how this or that flavour was made.

He also strives to add a congratulatory message when he knows a customer is celebrating a special occasion.

Most of all, Mr Chan's quest to encourage gastronomic exploration is far from over.

He occasionally tucks in a small cup of a new flavour with some orders – the best he can do to give customers a taste of something they might not otherwise have tried.

Even with his bold approach to experimentation, he refuses to cross one line: no meat of any kind in the gelato machine.

"I always tell people this is against my religion," he said dryly. "Meat in an ice cream machine is definitely against my religion."

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这位 51 岁的前工程师 20 多年前开始制作意式冰淇淋，最初只是作为副业。此后，这成为了他毕生的爱好，他通过教学和经营自己的家庭式冰淇淋店 Ethos Gelato Lab 来继续追求这项爱好。

Tom's Palette联合创始人、现经营Ethos Gelato Lab的陈先生于2026年9月19日在家制作意式冰淇淋。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

在希尔维尤的 Pawfect Fruit 水果批发商那里，除了老虎柠檬和基萨贝尔苹果等独特的品种外，当我看到我最喜欢的水果——柿子时，我简直兴奋不已。

我的同伴克罗诺斯·陈先生也立刻表现出和我一样的热情。就这样，我们俩的角色互换了，记者和受访者。

“你想到柿子的时候会想到什么？”他问道。“有没有什么你以前吃过的可以和柿子搭配的食物，比如甜点？还是你会直接吃柿子？”

我描述了我在家做不出美味的柿子面包的失败经历，并坦白说我一直梦想着将意式奶冻与这种秋季水果搭配在一起。

陈先生立刻点了点头。

“如果是这种情况，你可以用鸡蛋做底。柿子可以慢煮，保持那种可以咬的口感。煮出来的汁水可以和增稠酱汁混合，然后分层铺在冰淇淋里。”

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批发商的生鲜仓库冷得像冰窖，只有3摄氏度。然而，只穿着一件T恤的陈先生似乎完全不受这刺骨寒风的影响，要知道，在这种天气下，任何人都会想到热腾腾的浓汤而不是冰淇淋。

看着这位 51 岁的老人滔滔不绝地讨论柿子是否更适合做冰糕，很容易就能看出他二十多年前创办 Tom's Palette 的那份独特的热情。

这家新加坡冰淇淋品牌以其独特的口味而备受追捧，近日宣布将于 10 月份关闭其位于武吉士和高文的两家分店。

陈先生于 2023 年离开了这家企业。尽管如此，他仍然没有停止尝试通过富有创意的意式冰淇淋和雪葩产品来重现人们能够产生共鸣的回忆。

他现在通过自己的家庭作坊 Ethos Gelato Lab 制作冰淇淋，小批量生产并使用优质原料，例如 Shine Muscat（一种个大、甜的绿色葡萄）。

他的冰淇淋通过网站和社交媒体在线销售，顾客可以到他家自取或选择送货上门。

他还经常与新加坡的工匠合作，创造出独特的口味，例如 Moosushio，这是一种焦糖与日本和中国酱油的混合口味。

陈先生说：“我发现，如今市面上所有的意式冰淇淋都非常相似。”

“我想利用 Ethos 这个平台，展示还能做些什么，还能创造出（新的）口味。”

通过味觉建立联系

第二天我去武吉巴督拜访陈先生时，他正在制作一批苹果派冰淇淋——这是他 Tom's Palette 时期改良的配方。

他把加入肉桂的冰淇淋底料放在他的一台工业冰箱里冷藏了一夜，使其变稠。

他还向我展示了他用来制作香料苹果馅料的甜美的“嫉妒”苹果和酸涩的“青苹果”，这些都是他上次去批发商“完美水果”那里采购的“战利品”。

他没有选择现成的饼干来做酥粒，而是自己烘焙了焦糖饼干（一种酥脆的香料饼干），以获得更紧实、更酥脆的口感。

2026年9月18日，Tom's Palette联合创始人、现经营Ethos Gelato Lab的陈先生在批发商Pawfect Fruit采购水果，用于制作意式冰淇淋。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

这一切让我感到有些畏惧，但陈先生摆摆手，不以为意我的敬畏之情。

“其实并不难。难的是如何调整自己去适应自己想要的东西，”他说。

例如，并非每个人都喜欢馅料中相同种类或强度的香料。

陈先生偏爱特定比例的肉豆蔻、两种生姜和少许花椒。

在食品饮料行业从业二十年后，他逐渐认识到，制作美味佳肴的最终目的在于与人建立联系。

例如，他的其中一款作品名为《我记忆中的玉米》，这是一款玉米冰淇淋，其灵感来源于他童年时吃过的玉米波通（一种传统的块状冰棒）和路边黄油玉米。

陈先生业余时间还在意大利卡比詹尼冰淇淋大学担任讲师，在东南亚各地授课。

他经常到访马尼拉和胡志明市，向当地新兴的餐饮企业主传授知识。

他经常提前一天飞抵目的地，以便逛逛市场，看看有什么新的食品和口味，并向当地居民学习。

例如，他现在制作的每一种意式冰淇淋产品都会用 asin tibuok（一种菲律宾海盐）进行最后调味，这是一种厨师介绍给他的海盐。

2026年9月19日，Tom's Palette联合创始人、现经营Ethos Gelato Lab的陈先生（Chronos Chan）手持一块菲律宾海盐asin tibuok，这是某位厨师向他介​​绍的。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

Chronos Chan先生在越南为Carpigiani Gelato大学授课。（照片：Chronos Chan）

他还回忆起另一次旅行，当时他问一些越南学生，为什么火龙果虽然味道相对清淡，却在那里如此受欢迎。

令他惊讶的是，他们告诉他，这件事根本与水果无关。

“他们想帮助那些收入不高的农民。他们真心想支持这些农民，所以用这些水果制作冰沙和意式冰淇淋。”

“通过了解这一点，你就能了解人们的生活方式、思维方式和文化。”

从工程到冰淇淋

具有讽刺意味的是，陈先生本人并不太喜欢甜食，这也解释了他为何偏爱在冰淇淋产品中加入咸味配料。

他从小就对食物充满好奇，喜欢尝试新奇的食物。没有什么食物是他不吃的，就连昆虫也不例外。

“我知道我可能不喜欢它，但我仍然会努力去了解它的味道，”他坚定地说。

1996年服完兵役后，他立即在一家印刷公司找到了一份工作。四年后，他辞职前往澳大利亚布里斯班继续深造机械工程。

在那里，他偶然发现了酷圣石冰淇淋店，这家连锁店以在冰板上将冰淇淋与切碎的配料混合而闻名。

受此启发，他回到新加坡后开始了自己的冰淇淋生意。在电子公司松下担任研发工程师期间，他花了一年时间尝试开发一种可以在潮湿气候下使用的冷板。

他最终放弃了那个商业想法，但没有放弃冰淇淋。

他和妻子从一位厨师朋友那里学习了制作意式冰淇淋的基础知识后，最终在 2005 年创立了 Tom's Palette。

陈先生以他在理工学院的朋友的名字为这家企业命名，这位朋友曾告诫他开办冰淇淋生意需要做出牺牲。

创业初期总是很艰难，但他面临的压力是双重的，因为他还要兼顾在松下公司的工作。

他每周五天清晨早早起床，从武吉巴督的家准时赶到勿洛的工作地点。

下班后，他匆匆赶到位于市区海滩路上的Tom's Palette冰淇淋店，一直工作到深夜，为顾客服务并制作第二天要用的意式冰淇淋。他每个周末也都待在店里。

“说实话，我不知道我是怎么熬过那些日子的，”陈先生说，他估计自己每天只能睡四到五个小时。

陈先生在邵氏大厦的最初那家店生意惨淡，一天只能卖出几杯咖啡。于是，他开始尝试新的口味。

他最早的创新产品名为“奶奶的最爱”——一种巧克力麦芽冰淇淋，里面加入了曲奇面团块，后来成为 Tom's Palette 的招牌产品。

陈先生说，这种口味的灵感来自隔壁店铺一位经营着一家生意兴隆的饼干店的老妇人。

2026年9月19日拍摄的一桶“奶奶最爱”冰淇淋。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

图为一桶桂花莲花脆皮冰淇淋，这是Ethos Gelato Lab为庆祝中秋节推出的口味，拍摄于2026年9月19日。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

图为 Ethos Gelato Lab 出售的一桶苹果派冰淇淋，拍摄于 2026 年 9 月 19 日。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

由于没有接受过正规的冰淇淋制作教育，他和妻子尤妮斯·苏恩对冰淇淋的配料没有太多限制。

“在学校里，老师会告诉你‘不要这样做’……但我们却偏要去做，当事情失败时，我们会问自己，‘哪里出了问题？为什么我们不能在冰淇淋里使用海藻？’”

“正因如此，我们才能推出各种各样的口味……一些让人意想不到的口味。”

他们的实验性产品很快引起了当地报纸和杂志的关注。

随着覆盖范围的扩大，生意迅速好转，陈先生辞去了工程师的工作，全职从事意式冰淇淋制作。

尽管他们在研发新口味方面投入了大量资金，但他们仍努力保持产品价格尽可能亲民。

最小杯的售价仅为 2.80 新元起，顾客可以在任何尺寸的杯子中放入两种口味。

鼓励提交样品，数量不限。

Tom Palette的第一家店位于海滩路邵氏大厦。当时，店面空间有限，仅能容纳一个吧台和五个吧台凳。（图片：Facebook/Eunice Soon）

邵氏大厦 Tom's Palette 店面翻新后的样子。（图片来源：Facebook/Tom's Palette）

在 Tom's Palette 搬迁至美芝路（Middle Road）的店面后，Chronos Chan 先生在店内为顾客服务，应对新冠疫情。（图片：Facebook/Tom's Palette）

回顾这家店这些年来的发展历程，我们仔细查看了 Tom's Palette 的一张张里程碑照片，这些照片大多由网上的美食博客记录下来——从邵氏大厦的第一家店到搬到美芝路，再到在高文开设第二家分店。

回忆起店铺在邵氏大厦的早期岁月，当时只有五个凳子作为座位，墙上贴着“非常幼稚”的海报，他突然停了下来。

“这太令人动容了，”他声音沉重地说。

2023 年，陈先生出售了这家公司，因为他不同意新投资者希望该品牌的发展方向——这一决定在开始时尤其痛苦。

“无论如何，汤姆已经陪伴我近20年了，”他说。

他花了“相当长的时间”才开始走出阴霾——大约六个月到一年。

离开 Tom's Palette 后，陈先生在新加坡一家冰淇淋公司从事研发工作。

这份工作让他坐在办公室里研发新口味——他并不喜欢这种方式。所以几个月后他就离开了。

陈先生最初计划专注于教学，而不是再创业。但老顾客们不断要求他重新制作他们最喜欢的口味。

这最终促成了 Ethos Gelato Lab 于 2025 年的诞生，陈先生通过这家公司售出了 70 多种口味的冰淇淋。

其中包括一系列本店最受欢迎的口味，例如白兰地葡萄干口味，以及每周一惊喜推出的限量版口味。

Tom's Palette联合创始人、现经营Ethos Gelato Lab的Chronos Chan先生于2026年9月19日在家自制意式冰淇淋时，将一位厨师介绍给他的菲律宾海盐asin tibuok加入到冰淇淋基底中。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

Tom's Palette联合创始人、现经营Ethos Gelato Lab的陈先生于2026年9月19日将他配制好的混合物倒入冰淇淋机中。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

陈先生自制的意式冰淇淋被存放在他家的冰箱里。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

虽然陈先生的生计依赖​​于他独特的口味，但他对自己的食谱却并不珍视。

不愧是经验丰富的老师，他迅速而高效地分解了步骤，并一边在家里的厨房里搅拌另一批意式冰淇淋，一边说出了配料的名称。

“食谱本身并没有什么价值……它只是文字而已。重要的是做菜的人——他们是否在不断改进，力求做得更好。”

一些观察人士可能认为新加坡的餐饮市场竞争过于激烈，但陈先生并不担心自己在冰淇淋市场的地位。“正因为大家都在做同样的事情，竞争才会如此激烈。但正因为如此，人们只会选择离家近或价格便宜的。”

这就是他为何如此重视独特性和创造力的原因。

他迄今为止最复杂的口味之一，灵感来自椰浆饭。这需要耗费大量时间，包括切香茅、烹煮香兰叶、研磨凤尾鱼，以及用白巧克力平衡香料，以唤起这道标志性菜肴的风味。

他在 Tom's Palette 时期创作的另一款最古怪的菜肴是 cipolla，在意大利语中是洋葱的意思，其特色是焦糖洋葱。

他没有使用标签来识别或解释口味，而是鼓励顾客自己品尝并猜测是什么口味。

他回忆起一位男士，他不断索要样品，觉得味道很熟悉，但又说不出具体是什么味道。

“我觉得他午休时间有一半都在品尝和猜测，”陈先生笑着说。

“我喜欢制作一些让人感到意外的口味，比如椰香木薯糕（一种椰子和木薯粉饼干）。

“人们会说，‘哦，kueh bangkit，我知道那是什么味道’。但当你把它放进嘴里尝一口……它真的会让你惊艳。”

秉承汤姆调色板的理念

陈先生希望 Ethos 能延续他在 Tom's Palette 最珍视的品质：与顾客建立真挚的联系。

“我所了解的 Tom's Palette 是一家与人互动、用心创造口味的餐厅。”

但要让这种精神永存，仅靠一个人之力是极其艰巨的挑战。

他必须独自一人管理冰淇淋订单、海外教学安排以及社交媒体上的客户，而他在社交媒体上收到的关于新口味或旧口味的请求简直不堪重负。

在他工作台旁边的白板上，列出了顾客和前员工强烈要求他重新推出的几种最受欢迎​​口味——咸脆、牛奶、白巧克力海苔等等。

克罗诺斯·陈先生2026年至今创作的意式冰淇淋口味贴纸贴在他家的冰箱上。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

尽管忠实顾客给予了压倒性的积极评价，陈先生表示，他认为自己没有一种口味是完美的。

即使是重制旧口味，他也会从原料质量到最终产品的口感，对每一个方面都精益求精。

“吃意式冰淇淋不仅仅是品尝味道，更是一种体验，”他说。

在他看来，好的意式冰淇淋的味道和香气应该在三秒钟内就能抓住人的感官。

他曾经扔掉了一整批奶奶最爱的酱料，因为他觉得味道不合格——足足有 10 升。

与此同时，他总是不断寻找灵感，提出新的概念。

他孜孜不倦地学习餐饮行业各个领域的知识。在他经营冰淇淋工作室的家中，书架上摆满了各种美食的烹饪书籍，从甜点到烧烤，应有尽有。

目前，陈先生很满意在家经营Ethos这家店。不过，他仍然怀念实体店的经营方式。

自 8 月份 Tom's Palette 即将关闭的消息传出以来，网上就涌现出大量对该品牌的怀念之情。

得知陈先生早已离开这家店后，几位老顾客联系他，分享了他们在学生时代或与现在的伴侣约会时光顾 Tom's Palette 的回忆。

“我很感激这么多年过去了，顾客们仍然会给我发信息（谈论这些回忆）。”他说。

他回忆起一位女士想送给丈夫一份特别的礼物——带他去这家店逛逛，那是他大学时代最喜欢光顾的地方之一。她预订了两人位。

陈先生有些困惑地告诉她，在他的店里不需要预订桌子。

“这里真的是人们从小长大的地方，”他笑着说，语气中带着一丝温暖。

吃意式冰淇淋不仅仅是品尝味道，更是一种体验。

他现在希望能够在家里的厨房里，重现他曾经在 Tom's Palette 实体店柜台前提供的服务。

他会亲自回复顾客的口味要求，并在每个订单中附上手写的便条，解释一下这种或那种口味是如何制作的。

当他得知顾客正在庆祝特殊场合时，他也会努力添加祝贺信息。

最重要的是，陈先生鼓励人们探索美食的征程远未结束。

他偶尔会在一些订单中附赠一小杯新口味的饮品——这是他能做的最好的事情，让顾客品尝到他们可能从未尝试过的东西。

即使他勇于尝试，但他始终坚持一条原则：冰淇淋机里绝对不能放任何种类的肉。

“我总是告诉别人，这违背我的宗教信仰，”他冷冷地说。“在冰淇淋机里放肉绝对违背我的宗教信仰。”

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