Gastronaut features the story of Mr Chan Kim Ho, the culinaire behind the Poh Guan Cake House in Chinatown – an institution that has been producing Chinese pastries since 1930.
The industry in traditional Chinese pastries has seen its ups and downs, especially with the popularity of western-style pastries and mass-market bakeries. Still, Mr Chan and his pastries are not down for the count:
What’s heartening to this 68-year-old doyen of Chinese pastry making, however, is the revival among the young of giving out traditional Chinese cakes at weddings. This has an advantage, Mr Chan says with a twinkle in his eye, because Chinese cakes last longer, unlike the western ones that require refrigeration and have a short shelf life.
While ever the traditionalist, Mr Chan also seeks to make the old, new again. From time to time, he introduces traditional cakes with newly concocted fillings such as durian, green tea, pineapple, and yam. One of the company’s creations is a cake made from a Chinese herb – or weed, as he puts it. His sister who lives in China would harvest, wash, air, and sun dry the herb, and Mr Chan would bring it back to Singapore.
Read about Mr Chan and the Poh Guan Cake House here.
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