# The Original Don (originaldon.com) > The story of Chef Don Lim, founder of Don Pie and co-founder of Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, told by that kitchen, which bakes under the DonChef name today. DonChef's Original Chicken Pie follows the recipe Chef Don Lim dates to 1983 (our tagline: "Singapore’s original Chicken Pie, since 1983"). It is baked at Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, 39 Tyrwhitt Road, Singapore, and sold only at five outlets (Tyrwhitt Road flagship; kiosks at AMK Hub, Wisma Atria, White Sands, Tiong Bahru Plaza) and official ordering sites. No pork, no lard; not Halal-certified. There is no Toa Payoh outlet today. originaldon.com is written by the kitchen team at Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, 39 Tyrwhitt Road, Singapore, co-founded by Chef Don Lim, where the pies are baked today under the DonChef name. ## The story - [The Original Don story](https://originaldon.com/story/): How Chef Don Lim's chicken pie went from a 1983 staff cafeteria to Far East Square, Toa Payoh and Tyrwhitt Road. The Don Pie story, from his kitchen. - [Who is the original Don?](https://originaldon.com/story/who-is-the-original-don/): Who is Don Pie? The original Don is Chef Don Lim, the Singapore cook who created his chicken pie recipe in 1983 and founded Don Pie in 2000. - [The Toa Payoh years](https://originaldon.com/story/toa-payoh-years/): Chef Don Lim's Toa Payoh chapter, roughly 2015 to 2021: Don Signature Crab and Don's Pie & Cake. Both stalls have closed; here is where to go now. - [The Hainanese thread](https://originaldon.com/story/the-hainanese-thread/): What a Hainanese-style chicken pie is, why it carries half an egg, and how Chef Don Lim's Hainanese family from Purvis Street shaped his pie. - [Press and mentions](https://originaldon.com/story/press-and-mentions/): A dated list of real coverage of Chef Don Lim's pies and crab, from 2008 China Square blogs to Tyrwhitt Road reviews, with our disclosure notes. - [The original Don timeline](https://originaldon.com/timeline/): Verified, sourced timeline from a 1960s Purvis Street stall to Tyrwhitt Road, with disputed dates flagged. ## What original means - [What "original" means to us](https://originaldon.com/original/): What original means for the Don pie: Chef Don Lim's recipe since 1983, made in his own kitchen, and sold only through our own five outlets in Singapore. - [Anatomy of the original](https://originaldon.com/original/anatomy/): The original Don chicken pie, part by part: golden flaky crust, sealed crimp, chunky filling, half an egg, creamy gravy and a same-day bake. - [How to recognise the original Don pie](https://originaldon.com/original/how-to-recognise/): Is it the original Don chicken pie? Tick through seven real signs, from where it was bought to the golden crust, half an egg and same-day bake. - [What "since 1983" means](https://originaldon.com/original/since-1983/): Our tagline says Singapore's original Chicken Pie, since 1983. Here is what the date refers to, what the record shows, and what we cannot prove. - [Who made Singapore's first chicken pie?](https://originaldon.com/original/who-made-the-first-chicken-pie/): Who made Singapore's first chicken pie? No one can name one person. What is documented, what is claimed, and where Chef Don's 1983 recipe fits. - [Why originals matter in food](https://originaldon.com/original/originals-and-imitations/): An essay on originals and imitations in food: recipes versus names, why provenance matters, and how to judge a heritage claim fairly and calmly. ## The pies - [The pies](https://originaldon.com/pies/): DonChef's pie range: the Original Chicken Pie, Black Pepper, Chicken Shepherd's, Curry, Beef and Apple, and how each relates to the original recipe. - [DonChef's Original Chicken Pie](https://originaldon.com/pies/original-chicken-pie/): The original Don chicken pie: Chef Don Lim's 1983 recipe, with chunky chicken, potato and half an egg in a golden, flaky crust. Taste and sizes. - [Black Pepper Chicken Pie](https://originaldon.com/pies/black-pepper-chicken-pie/): Our Black Pepper Chicken Pie: the same pastry as DonChef's Original Chicken Pie with a bolder, peppery filling. How it tastes and how it relates. - [Chicken Shepherd's Pie](https://originaldon.com/pies/chicken-shepherds-pie/): Our Chicken Shepherd's Pie: the Black Pepper Chicken Pie filling under baked mashed potato, baked as a tray. How it differs and how to keep it. - [The Curry Pie](https://originaldon.com/pies/curry-chicken-pie/): Our Curry Pie puts chicken and potato in curry spices inside pastry: a Singapore flavour in a chicken pie, baked today in the DonChef kitchen. ## Craft notes - [Craft notes](https://originaldon.com/craft-notes/): Short essays from DonChef's kitchen on old-school chicken pie craft: the crust, the chicken, pepper, the half egg, baking and same-day freshness. - [On a golden, flaky crust](https://originaldon.com/craft-notes/golden-flaky-crust/): Why DonChef's pie crust is called golden and flaky rather than shortcrust or puff, how flakiness works, and why we make our own pastry dough. - [Why chunks, and why leg meat](https://originaldon.com/craft-notes/chunky-chicken/): Why the original Don chicken pie uses tender chunks rather than mince, why leg and thigh meat suit a pie, and how to judge a chicken pie filling. - [Pepper and seasoning in old-school pies](https://originaldon.com/craft-notes/pepper-and-seasoning/): Why seasoning matters so much in a sealed chicken pie, how white and black pepper shape old-school Singapore pies, and why our blend stays private. - [The half egg](https://originaldon.com/craft-notes/the-half-egg/): Why Singapore chicken pies like the original Don pie carry half a hard-boiled egg: where the habit comes from and what the egg does for the filling. - [Baking and resting](https://originaldon.com/craft-notes/baking-and-resting/): Why we bake the original Don pie in small batches in deck ovens, what happens in the oven, and why a chicken pie should rest before you cut it. - [Zero overnight pies, and why consistency matters](https://originaldon.com/craft-notes/zero-overnight-pies/): Our zero overnight pies policy explained: why a chicken pie should be sold the day it is baked, and why consistency is a recipe's real heritage. - [Old-school pie culture in Singapore](https://originaldon.com/craft-notes/old-school-pie-culture/): Is chicken pie a Singapore heritage food? A careful look at old-school pie culture: Hainanese cooks, neighbourhood bakeries and family pies. ## Visiting and questions - [About this site](https://originaldon.com/about/): originaldon.com is written by Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, the kitchen that bakes as DonChef. Who we are, how we write, and how to contact us. - [Where to get the original Don pie](https://originaldon.com/taste-the-original/): Where to buy the original Don chicken pie: our Tyrwhitt Road flagship, four kiosks and the official ordering sites. Hours and prices, October 2026. - [FAQ](https://originaldon.com/faq/): Twenty-three common questions about Chef Don Lim, "since 1983", the half egg, halal status, Toa Payoh and where to buy. ## Optional - [Full text of the main pages](https://originaldon.com/llms-full.txt): Plain markdown of every content page on this site. - [Index of every page](https://originaldon.com/site-index/): HTML index of all pages.