NOM NOM Vol.9: Maxie Millian at Mama San

What happens when you shuffle the deck and pull two wild cards?
You don’t just bend the rules, you burn the playbook.

While some collaborations are carefully planned, this one happens because two chefs walk the same streets, taste the same broth, and realise they’ve been chasing the same questions all along. Nom Nom Vol. 9 brings together Chef Maxie Millian and Chef Will Meyrick for the very first time.

Not as rivals. Not as guest and host. But as two voices in conversation through food, fire, and shared experience.

Freshly returned from their trip in Penang, roaming the wok-tossed flavours in Penang’s hawker centres to the nearly forgotten dishes of Peranakan matriarchs, they followed a trail of smoke, spice, and stories at risk of disappearing. The trip inspired a big curiosity: “what would happen if we cooked together?”

Chef Maxie Millian, the name behind some of Bali’s most celebrated kitchens, such as Merah Putih, Locavore NXT, and now Kaum of Potato Head, is known for his fearless exploration of Indonesian ingredients, approached with sharp technique and a rebellious vision. While Chef Will Meyrick, the ever-restless street food archivist, dives deep through local markets and warungs with the energy of someone always chasing what’s next. He is drawn to the lived traditions of Indonesia’s heritage and food culture, from roadside grills to home kitchens passed down through generations.

They are, in many ways, opposites. And that’s exactly why this works.