[EXCLUSIVE] How One Malaysian Founder Turned Her Craving For Banana Pudding Into Chomski

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Banana pudding may be a familiar dessert to many in the United States, but in Malaysia, it was hardly something you would find on every dessert menu.

For Nina Fuaad, that unfamiliarity was exactly what made it interesting.

What started as a personal craving eventually became Chomski, a Malaysian dessert brand built around Nina’s take on New York-style banana pudding, one she believes Malaysians deserve to experience in its own right.

But Chomski was never intended to simply replicate an American dessert.

“I saw the dessert somewhere and just couldn’t stop craving it,” Nina told TRP in an exclusive interview.

“I kept looking for it here, but couldn’t find anything close to what I wanted. So I started making it myself and improving it over time.”

That was when Nina realised there was an opportunity.

“Nobody here was doing this and if we didn’t make it, no one would introduce Malaysians to it the way I wanted them to experience it.”

So, Why Banana Pudding?

At first glance, banana pudding might seem like an unusual choice for the Malaysian dessert market. But Nina saw something familiar beneath the unfamiliar format.

Malaysia already has an abundance of bananas from pisang berangan to pisang emas, while Malaysians have long had an appetite for rich, creamy desserts.

“We have so many desserts built around those flavours already,” she said.

“Banana pudding just hadn’t been introduced here in a way that felt approachable.”

It’s Not Simply An American Recipe

While Chomski takes inspiration from New York-style banana pudding, Nina is quick to point out that the dessert is not simply a copy of its American counterpart.

The brand initially started with the original Nilla wafers, but after months of research and development, Nina decided they were not quite right for what she envisioned.

So she developed her own recipes instead.

“We use real vanilla wafers, not egg biscuits. Fresh whipped cream, not stabilised topping. A specific layering technique,” she explained.

“That’s what Chomski stands for: good quality, done honestly, not just another dessert trend.”

For Nina, authenticity is less about refusing to change and more about knowing which elements should never be compromised.

The technique and standards may be inspired by New York, but the way Malaysians experience, eat and share the dessert is distinctly local.

Making Banana Pudding Work In Malaysia

Creating a dessert that looks deceptively simple turned out to be anything but.

The pudding had to set properly in Malaysia’s heat.

The wafers needed to maintain the right texture without becoming soggy too quickly. And, perhaps most importantly, the entire dessert had to hold up during delivery.

Even sourcing consistent, fresh local bananas came with its own challenges.

“Banana pudding has nowhere to hide a weak ingredient,” Nina said.

Every component matters, from the quality of the pisang berangan to the freshness of the pudding base and the ratio, temperature and storage of the cream.

It took numerous rounds of testing before Nina was satisfied with the final result.

Keeping It Authentic While Making It Malaysian

Rather than completely Malaysianising the dessert, Nina took a more measured approach.

“The goal was never to Malaysianise it into something unrecognisable,” she said.

Instead, Chomski makes small, thoughtful adjustments so the dessert feels indulgent without becoming overwhelming for the Malaysian palate.

That balance extends beyond the pudding itself.

For Nina, that is what authenticity really means.

“Authenticity isn’t about refusing to adapt. It’s about being clear on which parts you’ll never compromise on.”

From Educating Customers To Building A Following

One of Chomski’s earliest challenges was simply explaining what banana pudding actually was. Most of Nina’s early customers had never heard of the dessert.

“We spent a lot of time explaining that it’s not ice cream but it’s cold, but it’s also not a cake,” she recalled.

But something unexpected happened.

Once customers tried it, many quickly became the ones introducing their friends to banana pudding. That education eventually turned into loyalty.

Some customers now travel long distances just to get Chomski, while others have turned it into a weekly staple in their refrigerators.

“That still humbles me every time I hear it,” Nina said.

“It’s a reminder that this isn’t just a dessert to them anymore. It’s become part of their routine.”

When Customers Start Saying “I Want Chomski”

Malaysia’s dessert scene is already crowded, but Nina sees that as a positive rather than a challenge.

Malaysians already love desserts, which means Chomski did not have to convince people to try dessert in the first place. The bigger task was introducing them to a new format.

What means the most to Nina, however, is when customers stop referring to the product simply as banana pudding.

“When people stop saying ‘banana pudding’ and just say ‘I want Chomski’ that tells me we’ve built something people actually connect with,” she said.

It is perhaps one of the clearest signs that the brand is becoming more than its signature dessert.

From Oil And Gas To F&B

Interestingly, Nina did not come from the F&B industry.

Like many entrepreneurs, the years surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic became a turning point.

What began with personal curiosity gradually developed into months of R&D, eventually becoming a business built around a simple belief: Malaysians deserved the chance to experience banana pudding properly.

There were doubts along the way, particularly because the dessert was still relatively new to the local market.

The turning point came when media coverage started bringing more attention to Chomski, followed by consistent support from returning customers.

“That’s when I knew it wasn’t just me being stubborn about a dessert I liked,” Nina said. “There was actual demand.”

More Than Just A Dessert

For Nina, Chomski is ultimately about more than introducing Malaysians to banana pudding.

She wants it to feel like a brand that people can be part of, something they can share with friends, family and the people around them regardless of their background.

“If Chomski can bring people together like that, and make Malaysians see their own food scene as something that keeps growing and welcoming new things, that’s the real win for me.”

And perhaps that is what makes Chomski interesting beyond the pudding itself.

It is not trying to replace the desserts Malaysians already love. Instead, it is introducing a new one, using familiar flavours, a different format and a distinctly local sense of community.

What began as one person’s craving may just be the start of Malaysia’s next dessert obsession.

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