Tomorrow, Toronto.

After working for an entire year in Hong Kong, going back to the place where we fell in love and discovering Rome, tomorrow, finally- we’ll be going home. 

2013- The year of Hong Kong

Someone had said, the only time you should look back, is to see how far you’ve come.

Compared to 2011 and 2012, I’ve only done one major thing in 2013: I moved to Hong Kong.

I accepted a job at Joel Robuchon almost immediately, and there are few moments when I’ve really had time to look back.

2013 for Bruce and I had been about the both of us putting our heads down and just working.

The charming HK that’s portrayed in movies and photos… the exciting HK that everyone comes to know as travelers…we felt like we got to know it a little bit differently.

We found ourselves getting weary from our demanding work schedules and craving the glorious two days off when we worked in France. And the language? Incredibly stressful and alienating for me most of the time.

But in between the grind were moments that made the year absolutely unforgettable.

Little, magical moments were the ones we shared with visiting friends.

One of my oldest, and bestest friend, Tashane, was the first to visit. CNY with her in HK was surreal

Hanging out with Lily, another friend whom I’ve known forever

Eating froyo with Aimee, the sweetest girl whom I met at George Brown

reunited with Debbie, also an old friend whom I was more than happy to have back in my life

Drinking HK milk tea with my best friend Kerri, who visited HK for the first time

Catching up with Wendy & Steven, some of the most talented and coolest people we’ve been lucky enough to meet

Having an HK meal with our friends from France!

Ending 2013 and starting 2014 with the best people in the world- Ben & Lisa

It was humbling to meet Chef Robuchon in the flesh during his visits to the restaurant.

Chef Robuchon & I

We took a much needed break from HK and spent a few weeks in Vietnam, where I introduced my family to Bruce for the first time.

one of the many, many delicious meals we shared with my family in Vietnam

And the place that I truly called home in Hong Kong- the Robuchon kitchen.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon HK

Salon de The de Joel Robuchon

I’m proud to have been a part of such a dedicated, talented and crazy team.

Robuchon HK patisserie crew

This year has not only been about working, it’s been about learning. And putting that learning into practice, everyday. Working under Chef Tadashi has not only given me the skills, but the confidence to create with what I’ve learned.

That’s why we came to HK.

I learned a lot about myself this year, in a way that I couldn’t have if I had stayed put in Toronto. But mostly, this year has been about confirmation.

There is absolutely no doubt that we are doing exactly what we want to be doing, forever.

More importantly, I know I want to be doing it with him.

I fell in love with Bruce in Paris. But in unromantic, anonymous and annoyingly populated Hong Kong, away from the glow of Par-ree, it was when I realized that we are truly meant to be together.

We have an incredible first two months of 2014 planned.

A trip back to France to see our friends and a sidetrip to The Eternal City.

But after, it’s home, and down to business. For real.

Hong Kong was meant as our last year of living and learning abroad. It’s time for us to start making our dreams come true.

It’s going to be another challenging year, with even longer hours, we’re sure.

But as they also say- just make it happen.

We will!

Last day

As 2013 comes to a close, so does my time at Joel Robuchon, HK.

My last day today at Joel Robuchon, HK

The Perfect Roll Cake

It’s weird to get excited about roll cake.

Even though I love all forms of pastry and sweets, roll cake doesn’t quite get my pulse racing.  I enjoy it when craving cake, but I never find it memorable… until I finally had the roll cake that changed my mind.

Christmas as a pastry cook

This year marks the 3rd year I’ve been working full-time in the industry.

Around the Christmas holidays is hands down the craziest time to be in a kitchen. So far I’ve experienced this holiday sugar madness in three cities: Toronto, Paris and now, Hong Kong. 

Stories in chocolate

Like any pâtisserie or bakery, we offer customized inscriptions on orders if a guest is celebrating any sort of occasion.

Depending on the shop, some places will pipe the message directly on the cake. Others will write on a piece of marzipan (a confection of ground almonds and sugar ) and some will use chocolate plaques.

Writing an inscription directly on a cake can be tricky if the cake’s design doesn’t allow room. The marzipan used for inscriptions are not exactly pleasant to eat. It’s tasty in its original form as a soft, fragrant and pliable confection. But for it’s use as a plaque, the marzipan is rolled out thin and left to dry until hard. At that point, it’s a chalky, crumbly thing, serving only as a template for the message.

Chocolate is the tastier option, but there is a moderate level of skill involved since the chocolate needs to be in temper. If it’s good quality chocolate, that is.

At Robuchon, we use marzipan. Or at least I thought we did.

Chocolate soufflé à la Joël Robuchon

I’ve been admiring the chocolate soufflé at work for almost a year now.

I first had it in mid-January.

It was my second day on my new job at Robuchon. I was cleaning down and keeping to myself when my sous chef called me over. She insisted that I try their chocolate soufflé. She said it was one of her favourites.

She pulled two black ramekins from the oven and placed them on a plate with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.

The first time I ever tried our chocolate souffle.

They had risen beautifully. The surface was smooth and even.

They were the most beautiful soufflés I had ever seen.

She passed me a spoon and told me to go ahead.

I looked around at my co-workers who were cleaning down. No one paid the slightest attention to the perfection that had just come out of the oven.

“Um..does anyone else want some?” I asked shyly.

“No la, all for you. Just eat ah.” My sous chef insisted.

I dug in, embarrassed that I was the only one eating this gorgeous soufflé.

Sometimes there are certain foods that never really interest us until we eat that one version of it that changes our mind completely.

This soufflé was it for me.

Solitude in books

It’s hard to believe, but we have less than 2 months left in Hong Kong.

I’ve given my Chef my notice. My last day working at Robuchon will be December 31st. Just writing that makes me giggle and sends me into a flurry of excitement. We are exhausted and a bit depleted.

December 31st may not sound like its far away, but in reality its still a few more hundred working hours away. 

All that shines

Today, Chef showed us how it’s done. 

Giving Thanks

If it were not for Facebook statuses and the torturous postings of stuffed turkeys , I would have probably forgotten it’s Thanksgiving weekend back home.

The locals don’t celebrate it here, and even if they did, it would feel a lot different. I can’t imagine celebrating Thanksgiving when the leaves are still green and the humidity is pushing 80%. It just wouldn’t be the same.

But whether I celebrate it this weekend or not, I have a hell of a lot to be thankful for.