Practice “Bakes” Perfect

Marissa Ng used to study in the UK, but she returned to Hong Kong to shield herself from the pandemic. During the 14-day mandatory home quarantine period, she was essentially “trapped” at home. One day, she had a sudden craving for cookies, but there were none in the apartment. Marissa then googled a cookie recipe and rolled up her sleeves to try baking her own batch. That first cookie experiment ignited her interest, which has only grown since then.

Prior to becoming a baker, Marissa had not been used to cooking. In the beginning, she challenged herself to make some simple pastries such as chocolate cookies, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes and donuts. Her enthusiasm grew as she accomplishes more. She tried modifying recipes and inventing new flavours by mixing and matching different ingredients. She attempted adaptations, transforming her skillset from making a traditional chocolate sponge cake to a bubble tea chiffon cake. Reflecting on her baking journey, Marissa proudly said,

As long as I have the ingredients and utensils on hand, with some time and effort, it’s not difficult at all to make pastries or desserts – it gives me a sense of achievement.

Marissa lives in Kowloon Tong, and the most convenient bakery shop that stocks all her required ingredients and baking tools is One2Cake, located in Lok Fu Market. Marissa visits about once a week to replenish her inventory. Currently, she makes pastries and desserts several times a week for her family and neighbours to enjoy.

Redefining Retail and Catering as Customers Become Self-sufficient

This epidemic has upended the way retail and catering work. Social distancing has made consumers learn to be more self-sufficient. For instance, many families that used to eat out have learned to cook. How exactly this change would affect the restaurant business in the long run is yet to be known. What is clear is that many people, like Marissa, have gone beyond their boundaries and are now skilfully cooking for themselves.

Marissa laughed when she thought about her own path to becoming a baker. "When you can easily make a few desserts at home, why would you need to go out and buy them?"

Due to the pandemic, many famililies that used to eat out have learned to cook. Many people have gone beyond their boundaries and developed a new interest in cooking.