Private Project

Kedai Tapao: Love and A Malaysian Takeout Shop

Mike and Jenn started Kedai Tapao in 2020 with the goal of bringing their taste of Malaysian food to Chicago. Within a few short months they succeeded in spades. Now most of their pop-ups sell out within hours. For this documentary we followed Mike and Jenn over the course of 3 days leading up to their first plated dinner pop-up service at Superkhana. The film explores the difficulties of opening and starting a pop-up business against the backdrop of a beautiful love story.

  • Michael Alesi
    Key Cast
  • Jennifer Pou Alesi
    Key Cast
  • Ian Szetho
    Director
  • Eunice Wangadi
    Producer
  • Matt Hebron
    Producer
  • Trevor Bush
    Music Supervisor
  • Xanthe Moon Brown
    Colorist
  • C. Ryan Stemple
    Supervising Colorist
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Food
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 26, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Ian Szetho

Trying my best to make great films in Chicago.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Kedai Tapao was a huge passion project shot in Chicago to cover an extremely talented duo bringing their special sauce of Malaysian food to the Midwest.

We hope you enjoy Jenn and Mike's story.