Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from London, Kyeli has spent many years in the hospitality and food and beverage industry, mainly in the management side of things.
The combination of her knowledge and experience, as well as her affinity for food and cooking, has been instrumental in the success of her very own white truffle cold capellini business—Noods.
But white truffle cold cold capellini specifically? Why Noods?
A father’s wish
In 2021, when dining out was still prohibited, Kyeli decided to recreate one of her father’s favourite dishes at home for Father’s Day.
That dish was cold capellini.
“I think you should sell this,” was her dad’s reply after taking his first bite. Kyeli also posted a picture of the cold capellini on Instagram, and began receiving inquiries from friends and family.
So, Kyeli sent some boxes to close friends and relatives to get their feedback, which ended up being overwhelmingly positive.
“That’s when the gears started turning and I started thinking about whether I could do this,” she said.
She also realised there was a gap in delivery for food that was more “atas” (premium). Before Noods, cold capellini was typically only available as an appetiser at fine dining restaurants, usually as part of a course meal.
Kyeli wanted to offer an option that didn’t require dining out or paying a premium for a small portion.
“Quite rapidly, I gained some traction and before you knew it, I was getting orders from people that weren’t friends or family,” she said.
Sourcing the most premium of ingredients
For now, Noods specialises exclusively in white truffle capellini. She uses fresh seafood like uni (sea urchin), hotate (scallop), amaebi (sweet prawn), ikura (salmon roe), tobiko (flying fish roe), and negitoro (minced tuna).
“I chose this focus to create a unique niche rather than offering a wide variety,” Kyeli said. “By concentrating on one dish, I can perfect the recipe and deliver high-quality Noods and a distinctive experience that sets us apart.”
That said, she might be experimenting with different flavour profiles to create a new sauce soon.
At Noods, premium is the name of the game. All the ingredients used are the highest quality possible, from the capellini to the white truffle oil to the seafood.
“After extensive testing, I found only one white truffle oil that met my standards—the majority of the oils I tried were full of chemically enhanced flavourings, to the point where they gave me a headache almost immediately,” she said.
Because of the sourcing process, Kyeli usually needs three days’ lead time to ensure customers receive their orders for the weekend.
With a small team, Noods caps their orders to around 20 portions per day. Their largest order so far is 25 portions in a day, excluding their recent pop-up where they averaged 60-70 portions per day.
Offering it to a broader audience
Noods is positioned as a premium brand, and that’s reflected in the pricing.
“However, our pricing reflects the top-notch quality of every ingredient we use, which comes at a high cost and not a desire to set high prices,” Kyeli said.
She pointed out that when compared to the fine dining scene, Noods offers exceptional value for money. The portion sizes are larger, too. Prices for Noods start at RM100 for a serving and can go up to RM200.
“My goal is to make our premium offerings accessible to a broader audience while maintaining and not compromising the high standards that Noods is known for,” Kyeli said.
For one, she only recently implemented a price increase, which took two years to decide on.
“For two years, I absorbed these increased costs. The decision to raise prices was made to ensure I could continue to source the highest quality ingredients and maintain the exceptional standards my customers expect,” Kyeli revealed. “My customers’ satisfaction is also my happiness.”
Lessons along the way
Running an F&B business isn’t easy, even for smaller teams. The food industry is highly competitive and constantly evolving. As such, there have been lots of challenges along the way.
The first is copycats. Kyeli considers Noods to be the pioneer of “atas” home dining experiences in the Klang Valley.
“Naturally, this has attracted other businesses looking to ride on our success,” she said. “Some have even posed as our sister company, confusing our clients.”
At the end of the day, she understands that food is a homogeneous product and there is nothing inherently proprietary about it. To stand out, it’s essential to continuously strive to be better.
But ensuring consistent quality can also be a huge challenge, especially when facing supply chain disruptions.
“A notable issue occurred in 2021 during a blackout period for uni, where prices skyrocketed by 200%,” she pointed out. This forced Noods to temporarily remove their bestselling Signature Noods with Uni and Double Dose Uni.
There have also been issues with dishonest suppliers. Kyeli revealed that an ex long-term major supplier had sold them bad trays of uni. It was “so bad that the image still haunts me to this day,” she commented.
“This very expensive lesson made me realise I needed to be smarter about choosing my suppliers and seafood,” she said.
Despite that experience, Kyeli firmly believes in the importance of building strong relationships.
“It doesn’t cost much to be a decent human being. Showing respect to everyone you work with—whether suppliers, customers, or team members—can significantly impact your success,” she said.
Happy customers are your best marketing tool, Kyeli believes, and word of mouth can make all the difference in growing your business.
Her next advice is to maintain financial discipline. “Effective budgeting and financial planning are essential to navigating uncertainties and ensuring long-term sustainability,” she said.
Finally, push yourself but know your limits.
“My motto in life is ‘be better’,” she shared. “I continuously strive for improvement and to be a better version of myself. But, understand and respect your own limits and those of your team. It’s important to balance ambition with realistic goals and to seek support or take a step back when needed to avoid burnout and maintain sustainable growth.”
Delivering noods to the world
The Noods team has been relatively small, choosing to expand slowly and steadily. The home-based business recently just had their second pop-up on August 18, and aim to offer catering and event services in the future.
To Kyeli, running Noods is more than just a hustle. “My love language is food, so cooking is more than just a job—it’s a big deal to me.”
She elaborated, “It’s a way of connecting with people and sharing a part of myself with every dish I put out. I want to ensure that every step I take in expanding Noods stays true to that passion so that the heart of the business will always be the joy of creating and sharing delicious food with others.”
It’s amazing that what started as a Father’s Day surprise dish has become a thriving business—truly, a gift that keeps on giving.
Featured Image Credit: Noods KL
