Jobs 101: Pastry chef

Ever wondered how one can pursue a career in the creative and food industry?

Standing out from Singapore’s dessert scene is Janice Wong, an experienced pastry chef who opened 2am:dessert bar in Holland Village in 2007, and 2am:lab in Fusionopolis in 2011.

Who: Janice Wong, 32

Occupation: Pastry chef

Studied: Bachelor of Economics from National University of Singapore (NUS)

Besides being in the kitchen, I love to paint. I am also adventurous, as I like to dive.

I grew up in Japan with a really sweet tooth. When I was a kid, my parents would bring me to eat éclairs and sweet cream puffs. I always crave for sweet stuff and it’s like a natural thing to be a pastry chef.

I am also eager to change people’s perceptions. For example, what you are sitting on right now is a chocolate table, which has expanded over time. For me, it is a form of artwork that is pretty cool.

I start at nine. I am at my factory all the time, running the business and cooking at the same time. I oversee our events, making sure that everything is okay. Every day, I also think of new concepts and new flavours.

The customers. You don’t even know what their lives are like, but we take a lot of pride and effort to make that one item (on the menu). If someone enjoys it, it gives me great satisfaction.

We are aware of trends, but we come up with our own ideas. We are very organic. It is really important to be in touch with the world since we are busy in the kitchen, so it is crucial to share our creations immediately on social media.

Managing people. Since I opened this place, especially when you are growing a business, you can’t expect to be close to everyone. Team bonding is very important.

When we first started, we had five staff. Now, we have over 30. We are still very small as compared to others, but I don’t want to have it too big because whatever I do translates directly to my work small (team). It is important to maintain quality, as our cakes and desserts are hand-crafted.

Dreaming, speaking to people, and exploring nature.

Stamina. When you first start out, it is easy and exciting. For the first two years, you will be on a high, but after seven years or 10 years, you might get bored. However, I keep creating new things so it doesn’t bore me.