A Conversation with Javen Chong, the Food Creator Behind @JavenBakes and LittleLane Market

BURO sits down for a chat with Javen Chong, the food-driven mind behind LittleLane, the online mart that’s bringing the best of Italian groceries to your pantry. 

There’s a certain joy in that initial taste of something so life-changing that you wish you could experience it for the first time again. It could happen anywhere from the kopitiam down the road to a rural ryokan on the outskirts of Kyoto. For Javen Chong, this lightbulb moment happened during a family trip to the Amalfi Coast in 2022. The dish in question was one particularly bright and fresh frutti di mare. What grabbed his (and his palate’s) attention wasn’t the freshly caught seafood or the perfectly al dente pasta. It was, in fact, the tomatoes that carried the dish. And to his surprise, they weren’t mystical, designer tomatoes hand-picked from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius or any other mountain of that sort. They were simply canned San Marzano tomatoes. That’s when Chong decided he had to bring this sort of “Italian experience” home with LittleLane. 

While this Italian summer epiphany only happened a couple of years back, a career in the food industry was always in the cards for Chong. From the tender age of five, he was a frequent fryer in his family’s kitchen, dragging stools to see over the countertop and lending his grandmother a hand when preparing his dinner. “Despite being a wild, stubborn kid, I’d go quiet when someone was cooking,” recounts Chong. Fast forward to his twenties, Chong is now working as a Product Design & Development Lead for a Singapore-based company, equipped with a BSc in Food Science from University of Leeds and an MSc in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition from University College London. On the weekends, he cooks on @javenbakes and continues to run LittleLane. In our conversation below, you’ll find out exactly what it took for Chong to start @javenbakes, which pantry products he swears by, and why LittleLane deserves to be part of your grocery routine. 

When did you start documenting your cooking?

I posted my first photo on @javenbakes in July 2015 but only really took the account seriously in August 2021. Looking back, I’m proud that what started as a casual outlet has grown into nearly four years of consistent content and laid the foundation for the content now shown on LittleLane’s socials. Although, I’ve got to give a shoutout to my girlfriend Sabrina for always lending a hand with this. I’m not sure where LittleLane’s content would be without her!

Why did you decide to document your cooking/content creation?

On my twenty first birthday, I was planning to make spaghetti vongole for the family and my dad—knowing how stubborn I am—dared me to film the whole process and post it online. I took on the challenge, shot the video on my phone, and from there, fell down the rabbit hole of learning to edit, story tell, and create content. 

When and why did you return to KL after living in the UK?

I returned to KL in December of 2023. Securing a job in the UK that year was incredibly challenging. The cost of living in London was so high that even with job offers, the math just didn’t work out. It forced me to take a step back and consider what returning home could look like and honestly, it’s been the best decision. 

The more I immerse myself back in Malaysia, the more I realise the amount of white space that exists in the local food industry. I have always wanted to apply the knowledge I gained from my studies abroad to real-world contexts and being home has given me that chance.

Starting LittleLane has allowed me to approach the food industry from a more holistic angle, not just from a nutrition or science perspective, but from a supply chain and consumer-facing one. That kind of hands-on, full-picture experience is something I value deeply, especially as someone hoping to challenge and reshape the industry.

Tell us a little bit about the ideation process when you were starting LittleLane.

The process started with two fundamental questions: what is LittleLane and will people care about LittleLane? 

For the first, we explored a couple of directions. I asked myself: do we want to be hyper-focused on only Italian products? Do we venture into European products or maybe even stock local brands? The answer became clear quickly. Both personally and operationally, I’ve always valued focus. I didn’t want LittleLane to be a platform that dabbles in everything. We believe in specialisation. We’re not here to be a jack of all trades, but a master of one.

The second question was tougher: Is there really a need for Italian products in Malaysia? Aren’t there already enough options in supermarkets? Why would anyone buy from us online?

Naturally, I was biased. But instead of throwing darts and hoping one sticks, we spoke to restaurateurs, ran surveys, and validated our assumptions with real consumers. The response was encouraging: there’s definitely a clear appetite for better Italian ingredients.

What do you mean by “no middle man costs” and how do you achieve that?

In a traditional supermarket setup, there are normally at least five layers that a product goes through before it reaches you: the product manufacturer, Italian distributor, Malaysian importer, retail chain, and finally, you, the consumer.

Each layer adds its own markup, which means that by the time you see that can of tomatoes on a shelf, you’re paying a premium not for quality, but for “inefficiency”. At LittleLane, we’ve stripped all that back. We work directly with our producers in Italy, such as La Carmela, and bring the products straight to you.

How do you choose your products?

Choosing products at LittleLane happens on a few levels. First, from a user’s point of view, what do Malaysians actually want? What’s familiar, easy to understand, and something they’d actually use? That’s the core need we try to solve. Take canned tomatoes, for example. Everyone knows and cooks with them. But San Marzano canned tomatoes? Maybe not. That’s where we jump in and try to help people discover better versions of everyday ingredients.

Second, I try to incorporate a personal perspective when choosing the products. For example, the La Carmela San Marzano tomatoes were the exact ones I had on that trip to Amalfi. They were the ones that made me go, “Canned?”. I sourced them when I was back in London, cooked with them, and eventually decided to bring them to Malaysia. I need to genuinely believe in the product before it comes out of LittleLane.

Lastly, it also comes down to the relationships we build with the producers. There’s a lot of back and forth, and I always ask myself, “Is this someone we can genuinely grow with?”

What do you hope Little Lane will become in the context of our local food scene?

Wow, what a question! We want LittleLane to be the go-to when someone says,  “I want to make lasagna”, “I need a good extra virgin olive oil,” or  “Where can I get proper San Marzano tomatoes?”

The goal is to be top of mind when people think about Italian ingredients in Malaysia. But before we get there, we’re keeping our heads down and building strong foundations. Right now, we’re focused on growing vertically, not horizontally. That means deepening what we already do well. And by that, I mean expanding our range of tomatoes, EVOOs, and pastas, instead of jumping into cold-chain categories like cheese or cold cuts.

Briefly detail the process of importing and selling the products.

It all starts with a cold email to the brand we’re interested in. We discuss minimum order quantities, negotiate pricing, and once we agree on the numbers, we make the payment. From there, the products are sent to a consolidation warehouse in Italy.

Our freight forwarder picks them up, and they’re sea-shipped to Malaysia. After clearing customs, we transport everything to our warehouse. Then comes the fun part! We shoot product photos, come up with use-case ideas for content, upload them onto our website and sales channels, as well as start sharing them with Malaysia through our socials!

In your opinion, what determines a well-curated grocers?

To me, a well-curated grocer needs to solve one key problem: to make sure you get everything you need in one stop. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to visit multiple stores just to cook one dish. It’s frustrating, and totally avoidable with the right curation.

Beyond that, humans like options. A good grocer shouldn’t just offer one version of something. They should let you compare, contrast, and choose what fits your needs—whether it’s budget-friendly, premium or somewhere in the middle. It’s also not about stocking the most expensive items. It’s about stocking the right mix of products that people actually use while giving them the chance to explore. That balance, to me, defines a truly well-curated grocer.

Which product is the easiest to source and which is the most difficult?

The easiest products to source are non-seasonal ones like pasta. Durum wheat is harvested in large volumes and is generally available year-round, so there’s rarely any issue with supply.

The hardest would definitely be seasonal products like olive oil. The harvest window is short, usually between September and December, and the yield depends heavily on that year’s weather, soil health, and the condition of the olive trees. Because of this variability, finding a steady supply of high-quality EVOO can be quite challenging.

If you were to introduce someone to Little Lane, what would the three products you’d recommend be and why?

First, La Carmela San Marzano Tomatoes. You really have to taste these to believe them. The sweetness and richness of these tomatoes are next level. I cannot put how much they transform a dish into words. Second, Piccardo & Savoré’s 100 percent Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Pour it over burrata, salad leaves, fish, anything! The peppery and herbaceous notes from this EVOO instantly lifts your cooking. Third, Borella Spaghetti (Bigoli). Thanks to its rough, bronze-cut surface, it clings to sauces beautifully. Cook it side-by-side with your usual brand and I think you’ll find a new favourite pretty quickly.

What are the three products you always keep stocked in your own pantry and why?

Solania San Marzano Tomatoes, for sure. Arrabbiata? Bolognese? Tomato soup? Sorted. It’s such a forgiving and versatile ingredient. I go through so much of it. I also keep Voiello Rigatoni stocked. My girlfriend loves this pasta shape, especially when paired with a carbonara sauce. It’s the one pasta shape she’ll always finish to the last bite. Lastly, some Attibassi Special Oro coffee beans. My mum recently got me a Moka pot and I have been using it to brew my daily coffee. It’s bold, rich, and intense. It’s not your typical cup, but that’s why I love it!

Follow @littlelane.co or visit its website to get to know its inventory and how you can get your hands on top-quality Italian ingredients.

Find more interviews here.