Why Chronos Chan puts seaweed, soy sauce and Sichuan pepper in gelato – and what drives his unusual creations

At fruit wholesaler Pawfect Fruit in Hillview, among the unique offerings such as tiger lemons and Kissabel apples, I couldn't hold back my excitement when I spied my favourite fruit: persimmons. My companion, Mr Chronos Chan, readily mirrored my enthusiasm. Just like that, our respective roles of journalist and interview subject flipped. "What crosses your mind when you think of persimmons?" he asked. "Anything you've eaten before that pairs with it, like a dessert? Or do you eat it by itself?"I described my failure to make a flavourful persimmon bread at home and confessed that I've always dreamt about pairing a panna cotta with the autumnal fruit.Mr Chan instantly nodded. "If that's the case, you can do an egg base. Then the persimmons, you can slow poach them and maintain the kind of texture you can bite on. And whatever juice is coming out, you can mix with a thickening sauce and layer them in the gelato." The produce room at the wholesaler was icy cold, at just 3°C. Yet, clad in just a T-shirt, Mr Chan seemed completely unbothered by the freezing air that would have anyone thinking of hot, hearty soup instead of ice cream.Watching the 51-year-old chatter on about whether persimmons would make for a better sorbet instead, it was easy to see the singular passion that drove him to set up Tom's Palette more than two decades ago.The Singapore gelato brand, which has become a cult favourite for its unique flavours, recently announced the upcoming closure of both its Bugis and Kovan branches in October. Mr Chan parted ways with the business in 2023. Nevertheless, he has not stopped trying to recreate memories people can relate to through inspired gelato and sorbet offerings.He now does this out of his home-based outfit Ethos Gelato Lab, which sells small batches of gelato using premium ingredients such as Shine Muscat, a variety of large, sweet green grapes.His ice cream is sold online via a website and over social media, with customers collecting orders from his home or opting for delivery.He also regularly collaborates with artisans in Singapore to create unique flavours such as Moosushio, a caramel blend with Japanese and Chinese soy sauces. "I find that, these days, in the market, all the gelatos are pretty similar," Mr Chan said. "I want to use Ethos as a platform to show what other things can be done and (new) flavours can be created."MAKING CONNECTIONS THROUGH TASTEWhen I visited him at his Bukit Batok home the next day, Mr Chan was just completing a batch of Apple Pie gelato – a revamped recipe from his Tom's Palette days. He had thickened the cinnamon-infused gelato base in one of his industrial fridges overnight. He also showed me the sweet Envy and tart Granny Smith apples he had used for the spiced apple filling, spoils from his last visit to wholesaler Pawfect Fruit.Instead of opting for ready-made biscuits for the crumble, he had baked his own speculoos – crisp, spiced biscuits – to achieve a firmer, crunchier texture. Mr Chronos Chan, co-founder of Tom’s Palette and now running Ethos Gelato Lab, sourcing for fruits at wholesaler Pawfect Fruit, to use as ingredients to make gelato, on Sep 18, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong) It all felt rather intimidating to me, but Mr Chan waved off my expressions of awe."It's not really difficult. Adjusting to what you want is the tricky part," he said. For instance, not everyone will prefer the same type or intensity of spice in the filling. Mr Chan favours a specific ratio of nutmeg, two kinds of ginger and a pinch of Sichuan pepper.After two decades in the food-and-beverage (F&B) industry, he has come to believe that making good food is ultimately about connecting with people.For example, one of his creations is named The Corn I Remember, a corn gelato inspired by corn potong (a traditional block-shaped popsicle) and roadside buttered corn from his childhood. In his spare time, Mr Chan is also an instructor with Italy's Carpigiani Gelato University, teaching courses across Southeast Asia. He frequently visits Manila and Ho Chi Minh City, where he imparts his knowledge to budding F&B business owners there.Often, he flies in a day early so he can visit the markets to check out new food items and flavours, and learn from the residents there. For instance, every gelato product he makes is now finished with asin tibuok, a Filipino sea salt that a chef introduced to him. He recalled another trip where he asked some Vietnamese students why dragonfruit was so popular there despite its relative blandness. To his surprise, they told him that it wasn't about the fruit at all. "They want to help the farmers who are not making a lot of money. They really want to support them, so they make smoothies and gelatos with the fruit."By understanding that, you understand how people live, their mindset, their culture."FROM ENGINEERING TO GELATO Ironically, Mr Chan doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, which explains his penchant for savoury mix-ins in his gelato products. He has always been a curious and adventurous eater, though, even as a child. Nothing was off the table, not even insects and bugs."I know I might not like it, but I will still make an effort to try and understand the flavour and taste," he said staunchly.Right after completing National Service in 1996, he found work in a printing company. After four years of that, he quit to pursue further studies in mechanical engineering in Brisbane, Australia. There, he came across Cold Stone Creamery, a chain known for mixing ice cream with chopped toppings on a cold slab. Inspired to start his own ice-cream business back in Singapore, he spent a year trying to develop a cold slab that could work in a humid climate, while working at electronics firm Panasonic as a research and development (R&D) engineer. He eventually abandoned that business idea, but not the ice cream. After he and his wife learnt the basics of gelato making from a chef friend, they eventually started Tom's Palette in 2005. Mr Chan named the venture after his friend from polytechnic, who had cautioned him about the sacrifices needed to start an ice-cream business. The early years of starting any business can be rough, but the strain was twofold since he still held on to his day job with Panasonic. Five days a week, he awoke early in the morning to get to his Bedok workplace on time from his Bukit Batok home. After clocking out, he hustled to Tom's Palette on Beach Road in the city area to serve customers and make the next day's gelato until well past midnight. He also spent all his weekends at the shop. "To be honest, I don't know how I survived those days," Mr Chan said, estimating that he was catching just four to five hours of sleep daily.Business was sparse in the original shop at Shaw Tower, with Mr Chan selling only a few cups a day. So he began playing around with new flavours and tastes. The earliest of his innovations was named Granny's Favourite – a chocolate malt ice cream with cookie dough chunks that has since become a Tom's Palette signature. This flavour, Mr Chan said, was inspired by an older woman running a successful cookie shop out of the unit next door. Having no formal ice-cream education, he and his wife Eunice Soon had fewer rules about what they could or couldn't put into gelato."When you learn from the school, the teacher will tell you, 'Don't do this' … We will just do it, and when things fail, we'll ask ourselves, 'What's wrong with it? Why can't we use seaweed in gelato?'"That is why we can do all sorts of flavours … flavours that catch people by surprise."Their experimental offerings soon caught the attention of newspapers and magazines here.With the increased coverage, business rapidly improved and Mr Chan quit his engineering job to make gelato full-time. Despite all they were investing into researching and developing new flavours, they strove to keep their offerings as affordable as possible. Prices started at just S$2.80 for the smallest-sized cup, and customers were free to fit two flavours in any sized cup.Samples were also encouraged, with no limits. Looking back at how the shop grew over the years, we pored over photo after photo of Tom's Palette's milestones, mostly documented by food blogs online – from its first store at Shaw Tower to its move to Middle Road and a second outlet in Kovan.Midway through reminiscing about the shop's early days at Shaw Tower, when it had just five stools for seats and "very kiddy" posters, he abruptly paused. "It's very emotional," he said, his voice heavy. In 2023, Mr Chan sold the business because he disagreed with the direction that a new investor wanted to take with the brand – a decision that was especially painful at the start."No matter what, Tom's has been with me for almost 20 years," he said.It took him "quite a long time" to even begin to move on – about six months to a year. STARTING AGAIN SOLOAfter leaving Tom's Palette, Mr Chan did R&D for an ice-cream business in Singapore. The gig had him sitting in the office to come up with new flavours – a process that was not to his taste. So he left after just a few months.At first, Mr Chan planned to focus on teaching rather than start another business. But old customers kept asking him to recreate their favourite flavours.That eventually led to the birth of Ethos Gelato Lab in 2025, through which Mr Chan has sold more than 70 flavours. These include a small range of house favourites such as Brandy & Raisin as well as surprise releases of limited-edition flavours each Monday. Mr Chronos Chan, co-founder of Tom’s Palette and now running Ethos Gelato Lab, making gelato at home on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong) Mr Chronos Chan, co-founder of Tom’s Palette and now running Ethos Gelato Lab, adding asin tibuok, a Filipino sea salt that a chef introduced to him, into the gelato base he made at home on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong) Mr Chronos Chan, co-founder of Tom’s Palette and now running Ethos Gelato Lab, pouring in the mixture he prepared into a gelato machine on Sep 19, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong) Tubs of gelato made by Mr Chronos Chan are kept in his refrigerator at home. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong) Although his livelihood depended on his unique flavours, Mr Chan is not at all precious about his recipes. As expected of a seasoned teacher, he quickly and efficiently broke down his steps and named the ingredients while mixing up another batch of gelato in his home kitchen. "A recipe doesn't really have any value … it's just words. What is important is the person is doing it – if they are finding ways to improve it, to be better."Some observers may see Singapore's F&B landscape as being overcrowded, but Mr Chan does not feel concerned about his place in the gelato market."It's precisely because everyone is doing the same thing that the competition is there. But because of this, people will just choose whichever is nearer or cheaper."This is why he places a premium on uniqueness and creativity. One of his most complicated flavours to date was one inspired by nasi lemak. That involved a time-consuming process of cutting lemongrass, cooking pandan, grinding up anchovies and balancing spices with white chocolate to evoke the flavour of the iconic dish. Another of his most outlandish creations from his Tom’s Palette days was cipolla, which means onion in Italian and featured caramelised onion.Instead of using a label to identify or explain the flavour, he encouraged customers to try it for themselves and guess what it was.He recalled one man who asked for sample after sample, finding the taste familiar but impossible to pinpoint. “I think he spent half his lunch time tasting and guessing it,” Mr Chan said with a laugh."I like to make flavours that catch people by surprise, like kueh bangkit (a coconut and tapioca flour cookie). "People say, 'Oh, kueh bangkit, I know what that tastes like'. But when you put it in your mouth and taste it … it really wows you."CARRYING THE ETHOS OF TOM'S PALETTEMr Chan hopes that Ethos will carry forward what he valued most about Tom's Palette: a heartfelt connection with customers."The Tom's Palette that I know is one that interacts with people, creates flavours from our heart and soul."But keeping that spirit alive is a lofty endeavour for just one man. He has to single-handedly manage gelato orders, his overseas teaching schedule and customers on social media, where he's inundated with requests for new or older flavours. On the whiteboard next to his workstation is a short list of the top-most requested flavours that customers and former employees have clamoured for him to bring back – Savoury Crunch, Milk, White Chocolate Nori and more. Stickers showing the gelato flavours that Mr Chronos Chan has created so far in 2026 are stuck on his refrigerator at home. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong) Despite the overwhelmingly positive response from his loyal customers, Mr Chan said that there is no flavour of his that he considers perfect. Even when remaking old flavours, he nitpicks over every aspect from ingredient quality to the mouthfeel of the final product. "Eating gelato is not only about flavour, it's about the experience," he said. In his view, a good gelato's flavour and aroma should hit one's senses within three seconds.He once threw away a whole batch of Granny's Favourite because he thought it wasn't up to scratch – 10 whole litres of it. At the same time, he is always looking for ideas and coming up with new concepts.He takes pains to keep learning more from various disciplines in the F&B industry. The shelves at his home where he runs his gelato lab are lined with cookbooks on all types of food, from desserts to barbecue. For now, Mr Chan is happy running Ethos as a home-based business. However, there are still things he misses about running a physical shop.Since news broke in August of the impending closure of Tom's Palette, there has been an outpouring of nostalgia for the brand online. Several former customers, upon learning that Mr Chan had long departed from the business, reached out to share memories of visiting Tom's Palette during their school days or while dating their current spouses."I'm very grateful that after so many years, customers are still messaging me (about these memories)," he said.He recalled one woman who wanted to gift her husband a visit to the shop, one of his favourite haunts during his university days. She asked for a reservation for two. Mr Chan had to tell her, rather bemusedly, that there was no need to reserve a table at his shop."It's really a place that people grew up with," he said, smiling fondly. Eating gelato is not only about flavour, it's about the experience. From his home kitchen, he now hopes to recreate the service he once provided over the physical counter at Tom's Palette. He responds personally to flavour requests and slips handwritten notes into every order, explaining a little about how this or that flavour was made. He also strives to add a congratulatory message when he knows a customer is celebrating a special occasion.Most of all, Mr Chan's quest to encourage gastronomic exploration is far from over. He occasionally tucks in a small cup of a new flavour with some orders – the best he can do to give customers a taste of something they might not otherwise have tried.Even with his bold approach to experimentation, he refuses to cross one line: no meat of any kind in the gelato machine. "I always tell people this is against my religion," he said dryly. "Meat in an ice cream machine is definitely against my religion."