IS THIS JOB FOR ME? On Being a CHEF!

“Choose a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life.” - Confucius

Got a sweet tooth? So does iCUBED.us! Everyone loves food but what are the challenges a person has to overcome to establish their own restaurant or coffee / cake shop?

Here, we catch up with Tracy Chow, Pastry Chef and founder of POMME, a new cake / coffee shop located in the heart of Hong Kong. Tracy discusses how she became a chef, her training and cup cakes as art form!

TC – Tracy Chow, Pastry Chef and Owner of Pomme (Hong Kong)
iCUBED.us interviewer - Chris Lau

iCUBED.us: Did you always want to work as a chef? What inspired you to focus on cakes?

TC: Since I was in high school, I always had a dream to become a pastry chef! Baking cake is like an art form, you got to make it interesting and at the same time, tasty! To have a balance of both is a challenge and I like to challenge myself! I enjoy making new cakes and have my family and friends try them out. Every little comment helps me improve myself and my products.

iCUBED.us: Where did you receive your training? Was it enjoyable or hard work?

TC: I went to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris for my professional training in Patisserie. It was a once in a life time experience and I will never forget my time there. After I graduated, I was lucky enough to intern at a famous cake shop called ‘Angelina’ and also in Toyko (Japan) at an establishment named ‘Fraoula’.

iCUBED.us: So what is the perfect cupcake?

TC: This is a tough question as everyone's taste is so different! I guess it is a balance of texture, sweetness and also the appearance.

iCUBED.us: How did you decide on the menu? Does it change around to cater to demand?

TC: Well at first, my menu had alot of the cakes and pastries that I enjoyed eating! After a while, customers started to ask about the different types of cake and requested that I bake for them. Since then, I've added them into my menu.

iCUBED.us: Was it easy for you to establish your own little cake and coffee shop? What hurdles did you have to initially overcome?

TC: Well, it is not an easy task to startup your own business! I basically have no experience in this area. I was lucky enough that there was a Hofex showcase fair for food and beverages and I was able to pickup alot of useful information for my shop.

iCUBED.us: Do you think HK has a developed a ‘Cake cup’ culture? With a general trend towards healthy eating, how would you persuade people to eat more sweet foods!

TC: In general, my cakes are not that sweet! Most customers will tell us their preference and we will recommend the cakes that will best suit them.

iCUBED.us: Do you have any advice for people looking to enter the food industry?

TC: Location is very important and also logistics E.G Transporting your cakes to the shop. Never rush yourself! Make sure you have all the resources; you need to run a cake shop. This step is very time consuming but it will make your life so much easier once you have that sorted.

iCUBED.us: Finally, do you constantly test your products to improve them?

TC: Yes, I taste all my cakes and pastries before I sell them. I constantly try to improve my products in anyway I can. Feedback from friends, family and customers is very important to me!

Thank you!

Pomme – Hong Kong Details Le Cordon Bleu – Professional Chef Training Becoming a Chef – All you need to know.