Kitchen Talks: Chef Anna Chan | OpenRice Singapore

You could say that baking has always been in Anna's blood. Inspired by her mom while she was still young, she managed to turn this hobby into a business by opening her very own baking school. Know more about her only here in OpenRice's interview. How did you discover your passion for baking? I used it as a way to de-stress when I was still in school. Over the years, it turned from a hobby to something that I really wanted to do for a living. Finally in the last three years or so, I decided to go full-time to teach baking. Who inspired you to be a baker? My mom was the one who introduced me. I wanted to learn more about this craft and so I attended a course in cake decoration. Further on, it was more of a trial and error thing already. What was the first thing that you baked? How was the experience? I can’t remember the first one, but one of the first ones that I did was a baked cheesecake. As it was my first time to do something like that, the whole experience was a bit messy! Haha! What age was this? I was already 20! Haha! How’s it like running your own baking school? It’s liberating but it’s really hard work. But it’s something I really enjoy. What were your biggest challenges? One of the biggest challenges I have is to keep coming up with new recipes on a short deadline. Good thing is that these deadlines are internally imposed. If we want something new for next season, then we have to work three months ahead. What are your inspirations when you come up with these recipes? A lot of them come from the suggestions that my clients give me, the cakes that I eat outside as well, flavour combinations that I see online. How do you unwind after a hard day’s work? I take my children out for excursion. What are your future plans? We’re going to open a baking studio and shop down at Tiong Bahru. What is your favorite ingredient? My favorite ingredient would have to be butter! What is your advice for budding pastry chefs? My advice for them is: If they could find a niche that they could specialize in, do it! There’s a lot of bakers and bakeries out there, so you just need to find something you’re really good at and just keep doing it. What’s favorite food or dessert? This is the hardest question because I have a lot of favorites. What's your favorite kitchen tool/gadget? Whisk! For recipes by Anna Chan, click here. Scour Singapore for other artisanal bakeries! Calling all sweet tooths! Try these delicious desserts