Building a bakery empire in Hong Kong with five locations stretching Kowloon and New Territories and selling premium pastries and breads, Vincent Lai knew from an early age that bread was more than just a childhood favourite of his.
“My mother would buy breakfast for me every morning from our local bakeries,” Vincent remembers, “it was a core memory for me.”
The fragrance, buttery consistency, moistness of Hong Kong’s signature pineapple buns, egg tarts, traditional Chinese pastries, sponge cakes, and the like hit him where it hurt the most: his sweet tooth. He became enamored.
“When I finished school in Hong Kong, I began working at bakeries across Kowloon to learn the craft.” At a list of neighbourhood joints, he learnt how to proof and create classic Cantonese pastries, growing an appreciation for the simplicity of the craft.
Vincent Lai LY Bakery store interior
Yet, Vincent was restricted on creating out-of-the-box pastries and working as an employee rather than a decision-maker. After several jobs and projects working with others selling pastries in Hong Kong, and encouraged by peers in the bakery industry, he joined his partner Shuie Lau to launch LY Bakery in 2018.
LY Bakery infuses a Western sweet touch in presentation and technique, but remains firmly Hong Kong in its identity. It is a breakaway from Hong Kong’s more traditional side of pastry-making and bready desserts.
Read the full feature at or click the link in bio!
#LYBakery #HongKongEats #Bakery #Pastry #CantonesePastries #ArtisanBaking #NeighborhoodBakery #CreativeBaking #FoodInnovation #BakeryExpansion
