057http://www.wnd.sgNamed after Ethel’s mother, Edith Patisserie, best
known for their layered cakes which are popular for
birthdays, weddings and all types of celebrations,
is the brainchild of Ethel Tan and Shaun Ong who
met while pursuing a pastry and bakery diploma at
At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy. Upon completing
their course, the duo honed their skills at different
establishments before setting up Edith Patisserie
in 2014. Since then, Tan and Ong have grown the
business steadily, expanding their shop space and
team over the last few years. They currently have
over 50 cakes and pastries on their menu, and also
offer a custom bake service where customers can
request for unique, one-of-a-kind designs.
How did your stints at At-Sunrice GlobalChef
Academy help you in forging your careers as
bakery owners?
At-Sunrice helped us establish a solid foundation
in pastry making, ranging from chocolates,
bread, cakes to ice creams and sorbets. We are
very fortunate to have had mentors who were
very forthcoming in sharing their knowledge and
experiences with us, which have helped us greatly,
particularly in developing new recipes. There is a
lot of science involved in pastry making, so when
working on a new recipe, troubleshooting and
refining the measurements require an in-depth
understanding of each pastry component—
thankfully our education has equipped us with
the essential knowledge and skills. Our time at
At-Sunrice also gave us the opportunity to work at
various commercial bakeries and restaurants, giving
us an insight into mass production and quality
consistency.
How do you divide the work between the two of
you and is working as a couple difficult at times?
We recognise each other’s strengths and we use
that as a guiding factor in the division of labour.
It also helps that we are willing to double up when
the other person is busy with other responsibilities.
However, running the bakery is more than just a
two-man show and we are very grateful to have a
dedicated and capable team—both in the kitchen
and in operations—to keep things running
smoothly every day. We don’t really view our
working relationship as ‘working as a couple’ but
more like working as a team.
How mindful are you of social media aesthetics
when you devise your cakes?
We don’t create cakes or pastries with the sole
purpose of being ‘instagram-worthy’, but of course
it is a plus when they turn out aesthetically-
pleasing. Ultimately, we prioritise flavour and
texture above all else when we develop a new cake or
recipe. Every cake that we create goes through several
taste-tests before it goes live, because we consider
various factors such as how easily the cake is sliced
and distributed or how well the cake would hold
up in our hot and humid environment, particularly
when it is displayed on dessert tables. We place a lot
of emphasis on consistency, so that every cake that
is posted on our social media pages is an accurate
representation of what our customers receive. We
also minimise editing our photographs to ensure
colours are as realistic as possible—this gives our
customers a better idea of how the cakes would look
like in reality.How can Singapore restaurants and cafes, and
in your case pastry shops, stand out for being a
Singaporean shop?
It is important to be genuine about your product
offerings. Many customers do choose to support local
brands and businesses as opposed to a franchise,
as they do appreciate the hard work that goes into
competing against big establishments brought in
from overseas. We take great care to generate original
ideas that aren’t necessarily trendy, but rather
something unique that customers would appreciate.
This means that we do turn away quite a few
customers who request for an outright replication
of a design that they have seen from another bakery,
but it has helped us to carve out an original style
for our cakes. For designs that are inspired by other
bakeries, we do take note to credit them as we know
the amount of time and effort that goes into creating
an original design.How many different cakes and pastries do you have
at the moment (seems like quite a lot from your
website). How do you keep the volume up with just
a small team?
At the moment, we have more than 50 cakes and
pastries on our menu. We love trying out new
flavours and ingredients, so we’re constantly
tweaking our offerings. We also have monthly
specials which are available for a limited time only,
especially for bakes featuring ingredients which are
only available seasonally. With an increasing number
of Singaporeans becoming more health-conscious
and mindful of what they eat, we also have a range
of bakes which are sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-
free, and egg-free, to cater to individuals with health
concerns. It is important to us for our customers
to be able to find something new every time they
visit our store, even if they have dietary restrictions.
Ensuring quality and consistency across all products
require a lot of planning, but thankfully, our team
is well-organised and well-equipped, allowing us to
maintain a high volume, while ensuring the highest
quality.