Asmah Laili | |
|---|---|
 fair use image | |
| Born | 24 September 1940 |
| Died | 15 February 2019 Singapore |
| Occupation(s) | Chef, television presenter, radio presenter and producer |
Asmah Laili (24 September 1940 – 15 February 2019) was a Singaporean radio and television presenter and producer, who also became famous for her programs and publications on Malay cuisine.
Asmah Laili began working at Singapore Broadcasting Corporation in 1959,[1] as a protégée of Zahrah Za'ba, the company's first female executive.[2] Asmah anchored programs on Warna 94.2FM, and was an executive producer for the Malay radio station in Singapore, working with writer Jah Lelawati among others.[3] She was the first woman to work as a television presenter in Singapore, and was a mentor to aspiring female broadcasters who followed.[4] She retired from broadcasting in 1997.[5] In 2003, she was the subject of an episode of Ikon wanita, a documentary series on Muslim women in Singapore.[6]
As a celebrity chef, she was known affectionately as "Mami Asmah", and demonstrated Malay cookery on radio and television shows in Singapore,[7] as host of Sedap and Dapur Mami. She also wrote cookbooks.[4][8] In 2009 she released a cooking DVD, Tanya Mami (Ask Mami).[9]
Asmah Laili married in 1967,[10] and had two children; she lived in Bedok.[1] She died at Changi General Hospital in 2019, aged 78 years, from lung disease. Her body was interred at Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery after her death.[4][5]
