For Mr Daniel Neo, a NUSS member of over 30 years, the Kent Ridge Guild House isn’t just a clubhouse —it’s woven into the fabric of his family’s story. Planning his daughter Cheyenne’s engagement party was an obvious choice.
“It had to be Café on the Ridge,” Daniel stated. “It’s more than a restaurant to us — it’s where Cheyenne spent much of her childhood. Celebrating this new chapter of her life here felt natural. It’s a place filled with memories, and now we’re creating new ones with our extended family and friends.”
Cheyenne was introduced to NUSS before she could even read a menu. Daniel fondly recalls Sunday afternoons at the Kent Ridge Guild House, where she would splash about in the wading pool, pretending to swim.
“Her little hands and feet mimicked the breaststroke in water that never rose above her chest,” Daniel reminisces. “Afterwards, we’d have lunch at the café with her grandmother and our helper — it became our weekly tradition.”
As she grew, so did her love for cooking, with favourites like pastas, meatballs, chawanmushi, and soups. Her refined palate and eye for quality kept her returning to Café on the Ridge.
“She always tells everyone how consistently good the food is here — from local to Western, Korean to Indian,” Daniel shares. “There’s something for everyone, and that mattered to her.”
Cheyenne and her fiancé Zack with her grandmother
Besides Café on the Ridge, The Scholar also holds a special place in their hearts for its delicious Chinese cuisine. A treasured memory was celebrating Daniel’s mother’s 90th birthday there in 2023, in a private room for three tables. “The food was excellent and the service outstanding — kudos to the chefs and staff!” Daniel shared.
Family members and friends of Zack, together with Cheyenne and Mr Daniel Neo
As Cheyenne begins a new chapter, Daniel reflects on the engagement celebration with pride. “Watching her start her own family fills me with deep fulfilment,” he shares. To make the occasion more personal, he surprised everyone by inviting each uncle and aunt to give a spontaneous speech. “It led to so much laughter and joy — the unrehearsed fumbles made it all the more heartfelt and memorable.”
Family members and friends of Zack, together with Cheyenne and Mr Daniel Neo
With her NUS graduation on 19 July 2025, Cheyenne may soon follow in her father’s footsteps as a NUSS member.
For Daniel, the engagement celebration marked more than just a milestone — it felt like coming full circle, from wading pool Sundays to life’s defining moments, all within a place that grew alongside his family.
“It feels like a sense of completion,” he reflects, “and the start of many more celebrations — perhaps even Cheyenne and Zack’s wedding at NUSS.”
