Where Mothers Inspire
December 20
10min read
They say mothers know best. It seems that this adage is true even outside of child rearing and home life. Many mothers have proven to be natural leaders across different professions, pushing the envelope on many accounts. Beyond motherhood, they are pioneers, trailblazers, and initiators who drive themselves to excel beyond the standard on the field.
For this Mother’s Day, we have compiled a list of five inspiring mothers who push the boundaries in their respective fields. From F&B to agriculture to healthcare, these mothers have set a new standard and accomplished extraordinary things.
Sisca Soewitomo
Culinary Expert
Known as the Indonesian Queen of Culinary, Sisca Soewitomo’s rise to fame began when she hosted the cooking show ‘Aroma’ in the 90s. In the culinary world, she is a star chef, a lecturer, and a writer. But culinary was not always her career choice. She originally went to medical school to become a doctor, but left when she got married and had kids. Wanting to pursue her education, she went to Trisakti School of Hospitality and Tourism. Following that, she was offered a scholarship by the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kansas, USA. Another scholarship was offered to her for a dimsum making school in Taipei, Taiwan.
Born in East Java in 1949, Sisca remains active today. After ‘Aroma’, she has been invited to numerous cooking shows as guest chefs, including as a guest judge in Masterchef in 2020. Throughout her career, she has published more than 150 cookbooks. She recently founded her catering service Tiga Bumbu, which serves Indonesian and Middle Eastern food. In 2016, she was awarded Ubud Food Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.
Siti Sumiyati
Midwife
Siti Sumiyati is the midwife who is responsible for the decline of maternal deaths in Kepulauan Seribu. Starting her stint as a midwife in the Panggang Island, Kepulauan Seribu in 1971, she forwent her retirement. Instead, she spent her days going from island to island to provide care for expecting mothers. From her home in Pramuka Island, she made the rounds to the other islands from Panggang to Sebira to aid with home birth. On a boat, these trips could take up to 7 hours.
After 43 years of service, Siti finally retired. She was recognized by the World Health Organization for her contribution to maternal health in 2008 and awarded the title Mothers’ Savior at the Global Midwives Congress in Glasgow, Scotland.
Lani Siswadi
Founder of Bu Rudy
Lani Siswadi was born in Madiun in 1953 into a humble family. She had a modest childhood rife with financial problems, forcing her to quit school after 4th grade. In 1970, she boarded a bus with two pairs of clothes on hand to try her luck in Surabaya. There, she took any job she could to help her parents financially. Marrying Rudy Siswadi and having one child, she went back to work at the local market.
Today, she is the woman behind the famed sambal Bu Rudy — her nickname after becoming Mrs. Rudy Siswadi. The business didn’t actually begin with sambal. She first opened up a food stall selling Madiun food in an homage to her hometown. Enabled Inspired by her husband’s hobby to fish using shrimps as bait, she started selling fried shrimp meal with special sambal. The delicious sambal exploded and became a national favorite. Today, her restaurant still strives—always maintaining its homemade flavor and the highest quality, and her sambal continues to sell like hotcakes.
Valencia Mieke Randa
Founder of Blood4Life Indonesia and Rumah Harapan Indonesia
When Valencia Mieke Randa could not help a woman looking for a blood donor, she took it to heart. Vowing never to let that happen again, Valencia decided to establish Blood4Life in 2009. She left her job to set up the platform, which aims to connect blood recipients with donors. The platform has a virtual emergency room with 20 admins on standby 24 hours to verify all incoming information on both donors and recipients.
In 2014, Valencia established Rumah Harapan Indonesia, a shelter for children with critical illness. Additionally to lodgings, the shelter also organizes activities for the children to keep them happy and in good spirits. In her spare time, she puts all of her attention on her three children.
Siti Soraya Cassandra
Co-Founder of Kebun Kumara
A graduate of Ththe University of Queensland with a degree in psychology, Siti Soraya Cassandra left her comfortable corporate job to establish Kebun Kumara. Together with her husband and sister, she established Kebun Kumara as a space to learn and explore—a space where urban dwellers can reconnect with nature.
Driven by her passion, the mother of one took a permaculture course in Yogyakarta and began to develop Kebun Kumara. Though the endeavor proved to be challenging early on due to the lack of experience on their part and lack of interest on the public’s part, the space gained popularity overtime and people began to take notice. Today, Kebun Kumara offers edible landscaping services and holds workshops on urban farming and sustainable living for people of all ages. Beyond understanding farming, Sandra through Kebun Kumara wants to take people on a journey to understand where their food comes from and where it ends up, and how this process impacts the environment.
They say mothers know best. It seems that this adage is true even outside of child rearing and home life. Many mothers have proven to be natural leaders across different professions, pushing the envelope on many accounts. Beyond motherhood, they are pioneers, trailblazers, and initiators who drive themselves to excel beyond the standard on the field.
For this Mother’s Day, we have compiled a list of five inspiring mothers who push the boundaries in their respective fields. From F&B to agriculture to healthcare, these mothers have set a new standard and accomplished extraordinary things.
Sisca Soewitomo
Culinary Expert
Known as the Indonesian Queen of Culinary, Sisca Soewitomo’s rise to fame began when she hosted the cooking show ‘Aroma’ in the 90s. In the culinary world, she is a star chef, a lecturer, and a writer. But culinary was not always her career choice. She originally went to medical school to become a doctor, but left when she got married and had kids. Wanting to pursue her education, she went to Trisakti School of Hospitality and Tourism. Following that, she was offered a scholarship by the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kansas, USA. Another scholarship was offered to her for a dimsum making school in Taipei, Taiwan.
Born in East Java in 1949, Sisca remains active today. After ‘Aroma’, she has been invited to numerous cooking shows as guest chefs, including as a guest judge in Masterchef in 2020. Throughout her career, she has published more than 150 cookbooks. She recently founded her catering service Tiga Bumbu, which serves Indonesian and Middle Eastern food. In 2016, she was awarded Ubud Food Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.
Siti Sumiyati
Midwife
Siti Sumiyati is the midwife who is responsible for the decline of maternal deaths in Kepulauan Seribu. Starting her stint as a midwife in the Panggang Island, Kepulauan Seribu in 1971, she forwent her retirement. Instead, she spent her days going from island to island to provide care for expecting mothers. From her home in Pramuka Island, she made the rounds to the other islands from Panggang to Sebira to aid with home birth. On a boat, these trips could take up to 7 hours.
After 43 years of service, Siti finally retired. She was recognized by the World Health Organization for her contribution to maternal health in 2008 and awarded the title Mothers’ Savior at the Global Midwives Congress in Glasgow, Scotland.
Lani Siswadi
Founder of Bu Rudy
Lani Siswadi was born in Madiun in 1953 into a humble family. She had a modest childhood rife with financial problems, forcing her to quit school after 4th grade. In 1970, she boarded a bus with two pairs of clothes on hand to try her luck in Surabaya. There, she took any job she could to help her parents financially. Marrying Rudy Siswadi and having one child, she went back to work at the local market.
Today, she is the woman behind the famed sambal Bu Rudy — her nickname after becoming Mrs. Rudy Siswadi. The business didn’t actually begin with sambal. She first opened up a food stall selling Madiun food in an homage to her hometown. Enabled Inspired by her husband’s hobby to fish using shrimps as bait, she started selling fried shrimp meal with special sambal. The delicious sambal exploded and became a national favorite. Today, her restaurant still strives—always maintaining its homemade flavor and the highest quality, and her sambal continues to sell like hotcakes.
Valencia Mieke Randa
Founder of Blood4Life Indonesia and Rumah Harapan Indonesia
When Valencia Mieke Randa could not help a woman looking for a blood donor, she took it to heart. Vowing never to let that happen again, Valencia decided to establish Blood4Life in 2009. She left her job to set up the platform, which aims to connect blood recipients with donors. The platform has a virtual emergency room with 20 admins on standby 24 hours to verify all incoming information on both donors and recipients.
In 2014, Valencia established Rumah Harapan Indonesia, a shelter for children with critical illness. Additionally to lodgings, the shelter also organizes activities for the children to keep them happy and in good spirits. In her spare time, she puts all of her attention on her three children.
Siti Soraya Cassandra
Co-Founder of Kebun Kumara
A graduate of Ththe University of Queensland with a degree in psychology, Siti Soraya Cassandra left her comfortable corporate job to establish Kebun Kumara. Together with her husband and sister, she established Kebun Kumara as a space to learn and explore—a space where urban dwellers can reconnect with nature.
Driven by her passion, the mother of one took a permaculture course in Yogyakarta and began to develop Kebun Kumara. Though the endeavor proved to be challenging early on due to the lack of experience on their part and lack of interest on the public’s part, the space gained popularity overtime and people began to take notice. Today, Kebun Kumara offers edible landscaping services and holds workshops on urban farming and sustainable living for people of all ages. Beyond understanding farming, Sandra through Kebun Kumara wants to take people on a journey to understand where their food comes from and where it ends up, and how this process impacts the environment.