Pair Are Making Sure America Has Supply of Fish Head Curry

Americans may soon be dipping into such Asian culinary exotica as Singapore-style fish head curry.

Spice mixes for this and other Singaporean dishes are being introduced to the United States by two American entrepreneurs who have resettled in Singapore: William Linehan, a New Yorker, and Ann Enkoji, who was raised in Whittier.

In 1984, Linehan and Enkoji formed Gold Mountain Trading Pte. Ltd. to produce a seasoning line that they call “Singapore Spices.” The blends distill traditional sauces and curries into dry mixes that can be reconstituted with ingredients readily available in American supermarkets.

In Singapore, eating is a national obsession, and the cuisine is a rich one, drawn from a populace that includes Chinese, Malays, Indians, Indonesians and the Chinese-Malay blend known as Straits Chinese. Despite its diversity and wide appeal, Singaporean food is virtually unknown in the United States. That spelled opportunity for Enkoji and Linehan.

In 1985, they commissioned a market study in Los Angeles to see if their spices would be suitable for export. The study showed the market for individual spices to be flat. However, the demand for spice blends was expected to rise by 8%. Interest in ethnic foods was also on the rise. Attending a food trade show in San Francisco in 1986, Enkoji discovered that retailers were receptive to new and different seasonings. Even catering truck operators were interested in the Singaporean mixes for their Asian customers.

Gold Mountain Trading is now represented on both coasts. Young’s Market Co. distributes to markets in Southern California, Las Vegas and Yuma, Ariz. Pezrow Food & Non-Food Brokers of Ramsey, N.J., is presenting the line in New York.

Positive Response

Young’s will handle all but the fish head curry. “It didn’t sound too appetizing,” said Jack Meese, purchasing agent. Linehan and Enkoji do not regard the oddity of this dish as a sales deterrent. “What we see as one of our sales points is that it is unfamiliar, “ Enkoji said. However, the recipe on the packet suggests fish fillets or prawns as an alternative to the fish head.

Bristol Farms introduced the spices in November in its two markets, which are located in South Pasadena and Rolling Hills Estates. “Singapore is an interesting land, and curry in general is a big up-and-coming food category,” said Seth Feldman, grocery director. “We’ve had very positive response. I think people’s taste buds want to be inflamed.”

Vicente Foods in Brentwood and Singapore Satay, a restaurant in the Westin-Bonaventure Hotel, also carry the spice mixes.

Linehan and Enkoji plan to ship one 20-foot container to Los Angeles quarterly. Each container holds 4,000 shipping cartons containing a total of 96,000 packets.

In addition to fish head curry, Gold Mountain produces blends for satay marinade; satay sauce; rendang, which is a Malay-style, coconut-flavored beef stew; a red chili sauce called sambal to serve with shellfish, and Nonya style chicken curry (Nonyas are Straits Chinese women, who are noted for their cookery).

Linehan and Enkoji formulated their products and packaging to meet FDA standards. They use only top grade spices and employ no additives or extenders such as flour or cornstarch. Their blends are checked for cleanliness by a private laboratory in Singapore and which also monitors the factory where the blends are processed. The function of this agency is to assist small manufacturers and to ensure that they meet international standards, Enkoji said. As a further check, the partners hold back batches to check their shelf life. Distributors in the United States have asked for a shelf life as long as two years, she said.

Started as Investor

Enkoji and Linehan revamped their original packaging into a tamper proof, poly/foil laminated pouch that is resistant to pinholes and fits easily on market shelves. The packets are green to represent the banana leaves traditionally used to wrap foods in Southeast Asia. The logo combines the words “Singapore Spices” with a painting of an old-time spice ship.

Neither Linehan nor Enkoji has a food background. Linehan worked in the marine department of Exxon International Co. in New York, where he became senior chartering negotiator for tankers. In 1982, he moved to Singapore as marine manager for Esso Singapore Pte., which is Exxon’s affiliate in that country.

Company rules forbade Linehan from participating in another business, so he functioned only as an investor in the early stages of Gold Mountain Trading. That left the bulk of the work to Enkoji, a ceramic artist who has held a variety of jobs in the arts field and merchandising.

In 1986, when his tour of duty ended, Linehan accepted “a nice program of separation” and settled in to a new life in Singapore. His departure from Esso also fulfilled his goal to leave the corporate world when he turned age 50. The spice project was planned in part to provide a new career.

Linehan is director and Enkoji managing director of Gold Mountain Trading. Gold Mountain is the name Chinese immigrant workers once used to describe California, Enkoji explained.

Their overhead is low because they have no factory and require only one full-time employee, a secretary. A local spice blender buys the spices from wholesalers and has them ground, blended and packed according to Gold Mountain specifications. Linehan and Enkoji’s specialties are packaging, marketing and export.

Government Assistance

Even though they are Americans, they are eligible for some assistance from the Singaporean government. If they participate in a trade show overseas, the Singapore Trade Development Board will finance their booth. And they are eligible for a double tax deduction on expenses concerned with export. For example, if they spend $5,000 Singapore ($2,500 in U.S. currency) to market their products in San Francisco, they can apply for a tax deduction of $10,000.

“We ride a bit on the advertising that the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board and Singapore Airlines are doing these days,” Enkoji said. The benefit is mutual, because the tourist board can use the spices as giveaways in overseas promotions.

Enkoji and Linehan enjoy living in Singapore. “It’s a hospitable place to do business,” Linehan said. “It’s a more relaxed life style, and it still maintains a little exotica.”