#60. Quinntessential Questions with Pauline Howard: A Singapore Girl Cooks Abroad: On Art, Family & Resilience
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In this episode of The Quinntessential Questions Podcast, Paul Quinn sits down with Pauline Howard, interior designer and cookbook author. From being disowned by her Sindhi in-laws to designing luxury homes for billionaires like Vijay Mallya, Pauline shares her remarkable journey across decades and multiple countries.
Born in India, raised in Singapore, Pauline discovered her Eurasian identity while navigating a multicultural childhood. When she married outside her husband's Sindhi community, his wealthy family disowned them—he lost everything. Pauline learned to cook out of necessity, opened her own interior design firm in Hong Kong, and built a career working with some of the world's most elite clients.
Pauline discusses learning to cook to please her mother-in-law, the moment her father-in-law rejected her, working on Vijay Mallya's estates, and why food is like design—both are creative acts. She also opens up about moving through depression in Thailand, the importance of cooking with love, and how her grandchildren now cook from her book.
Whether you're navigating cultural identity, recovering from rejection, building a business, or wanting to preserve family traditions, this conversation offers hard-won wisdom on resilience, reinvention, and leaving a legacy.
Guest Bio
Pauline Howard is the author of ‘A Singapore Girl Cooks Abroad’. She is also an Interior Designer and has worked with clients like Vijay Mallya.
Minutes
(02:19) Introduction
(04:30) Moving To Singapore At Age Seven
(06:12) Falling In Love With Singapore
(10:10) Singaporean Food
(14:05) Deciding To Write A Book
(15:49) Sense of Identity
(18:54) Favourite Meals Growing Up
(20:03) Moving To Hong Kong
(22:34) From Friendship To Business
(24:32) Being An Interior Designer To Vijay Mallya
(27:32) Getting Remarried
(30:21) Finding The Right One
(33:21) When You Marry An Englishman
(34:15) The Sindhi Community & Their Flavours
(37:02) Philosophy & Approach To Interior Design
(38:26) Vijay Mallya’s House In London
(42:05) Living In Thailand
(47:15) Learnings About Love & Marriage
(52:32) Moving To Australia
(59:32) Change & Compromise
(01:00:34) ‘A Singapore Girl Cooks Abroad’
(01:02:42) GrandchildrenBehind-The-Scenes
