Goodbye Hans ; Till we meet again. Keep the flame burning brightly ever

At Il Fiore Bar in May 2015 

I first met Hans Brys through a mutual friend Kim Soon Fang. I had just finished the toughest project of my working life (selling specialised human performance chambers) and was thinking broadly about diversifying into new fast moving consumer goods business (FMCB) using online marketing and sales.

To cut a long story short, I was introduced to Hans as he had a similar type of business model and concept selling his arthritic Belgian products into Asia while I had my probiotic products made in Singapore and targetting to a wider audience worldwide.

Hans came to Singapore in the early 2000s, met and married his Singapore born wife soon after and had been living here for almost 20 years. He had another daughter from his first marriage in Belgium. 

He had seen the ups and downs of life and I was struck by how hardworking and humble he was. Always with a ready smile, and his Yul Brynner (bald) haircut, he stood out amongst the unit holders in the basement of Chevron House  where he and his wife Marilyn persued their food business called "Pasta 101." The hours were long but they were a good match to this very tough industry.  

Those were the good times.

We met up I would say close to 20 times, and always he was there with support, a kind word and an easy smile. He first started his food venture from his mobile  stall in East Coast Park, I recall running over after an 8 km run to partake in a meal of pasta in the evening, and his wife Marilyn and precocious daughter Delphine would be there after nursery class to rollerblade and keep him company. His Mum in law would also be there to mind the stall when he needed a break from the backbreaking work. It was just near the beach at Carpark D as I recall.

The prices were very reasonable, something like $7 for a box of pasta with the secret sauce and topping. A picture of his mobile stall is shown below. Lovely balmy days in the hot and humid weather were not a big deal for this hardworking man and his family. 

After his 6 month stint at East Coast Park came to an end, he bid, tendered and was successful to run his outlet at Chevron House. So he started his Pasta 101 at the Basement of Chevron House at the Foodcourt. Those days lasted about 1 and a half years. When he ran into issues with the management of the building, he decided to help out with another of his countrymen who was a top chef and has many top quality restaurants all over Singapore. It was a great comeback for Hans.  

A dedicated family man, with no airs, hardworking and humble. He gave his all to his family and to his friends. Last year he told me that he came down with a serious cancer of the lungs and which had affected the kidney and even the bone. I was totally shocked at this revelation, because he had seemed like the perfect picture of health. 

I will miss you Hans, 11th July 2020 was your last day. Only 52. Till we meet again, I will keep all the memories of you and remember the constant hint of a  smile on your face.

Carpe Diem.