Bjorn Shen, Chef-Owner, Artichoke Pizza Parlor and Small’s
For chef-owner Bjorn Shen, food was never just sustenance. It was destiny. As a child, Shen was glued to cooking shows and flipping through his mother’s cookbooks, while other kids watched cartoons. That early calling drew him straight from national service into his first kitchen job as a dishwasher. “I loved washing dishes so much,” he recalls. From scrubbing pans to chopping vegetables, Shen never looked back.
PRIMED FOR PASSION
Beyond the Plate: Pizza, People, and the Price of Passion
by Portfolio Magazine
Photos courtesy of Artichoke
06 Oct 2025
Photos courtesy of Artichoke
06 Oct 2025
We spotlight individuals shaping today’s F&B and hospitality landscape, from seasoned veterans to new voices. Their paths may differ, but they are all united by a commitment to creating experiences that linger long after the last bite or sip.
Food and hospitality have always been about more than what’s on the table. They’re about people, stories, and the spark that keeps them going even when the industry tests their limits. Passion is what binds these journeys together, though it manifests in different ways: As resilience, purpose, creativity, or curiosity.
Fifteen years on, his misfit eatery Artichoke has evolved into Artichoke Pizza Parlor, a maximalist ode to the joy of pizza and its nostalgic power to bring people together. But behind the cheeky branding and unapologetic flavours lies the reality of Singapore’s punishing F&B industry.
The toughest part, he admits, isn’t recipes or rent: It’s people. “Managing different emotions, motivations, and just getting everyone to not kill each other – that’s been one of the hardest things,” he says. High turnover and strained relationships often test his resilience more than any culinary challenge.
What keeps him going is connection. At his tiny omakase restaurant, Small’s, guests often tell him it’s his personality, not just the food, that makes the night memorable. “When the right people appreciate that and give me feedback, it far outweighs the troubles,” he says. The friendships he has built with diners over the years remain the most rewarding part of the journey.
Still, Shen is clear-eyed about the cost of passion. “Passion is a dirty word,” he quips. “It burns out fast in this industry.” To survive, he has learned to box away the bad – the difficult customers, the emotional toll – and focus on the good. Resilience, he believes, is the only way through.
That spirit is what fuels Artichoke’s new chapter. Shen’s pizzas aren’t about authenticity or tradition but joy. Think crispy slabs, stuffed stacks, fried-and-baked rounds topped with everything from pancetta and apple butter to octopus masak hitam. It’s pizza done Shen’s way: Bold, unfiltered, and rooted in the belief that food is best when it builds community.
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