Getting to know Chin and her evolution from ravioli to ramen.
Since taking over from our previous all-Italian pasta shop partner O’Mari, Chin Ning has revamped her lineup with an East Asian twist, while keeping the Italian roots alive. It’s now been seven years and she’s developed a perfect fusion of cultures - making everything from gnocchi and ravioli to dumplings, udon, soba, and ramen noodles.
Living in Malta for a homestay program when she was in her teens, Chin learned how to make fresh pasta from scratch, something she did with her host family every week. She went on to study biochemistry, and after working in property management for a while, she decided to pivot back to food and pour her heart into O’Mari.
Growing up in Taiwan, Chin’s family taught her the importance of understanding where her food comes from, respecting the farmers and food makers, and not wasting even a single grain of rice. This, she explained, is an intrinsic part of her Taiwanese culture.
Chin sources her ingredients as locally as possible, paying special attention to simplicity and quality. This internalized sustainability has helped guide her production, always finding multiple uses for every product. Whether it’s creating pesto with leftover ginger from her dipping sauce or separating crushed garlic and its juice for multipurpose use - she never wastes a single ingredient.
Over the years, Chin has built a solid eight-person team of mainly hardworking mothers (pictured above) living in the Ville-Émard neighbourhood where you’ll find her storefront and small yet efficient production kitchen. Her chemistry background leads her creative process, approaching her recipes scientifically, like using potatoes instead of cornstarch or additives to emulsify her sauces in a different way.
She recently jumped on the ready-made train and now wakes up at 4 am to deliver us daily-made recipes. Whether it’s fresh meals, sauces, dips, or frozen noodles, you won’t want to miss Chin’s seemingly sporadic yet first-rate lineup of unique creations.