The Gingerbread House baking to please

KUCHING: Inheriting her mother’s talent and penchant for baking, Karen Chai has taken the art of baking one step forward by establishing a new concept combining a bakery and dine-in cafe.

PASTRY HAVEN: The Italian concept bread house is a subtle fusion of a bakery and dine-in cafe and the initial RM600,000 has started bearing fruit albeit slowly.

The talented and enthusiastic 26-year-old entrepreneur, who graduated as an engineer, has managed to stand out by owning a new concept of bakery shop. The Gingerbread House (TGH) was set up in partnership with her uncle, John Chai.

TGH has been receiving rave reviews in Kuching since its opening in 2008. Its name alone is enough to arouse the curiosity of anybody who sees it. The Italian concept bread house is a subtle fusion of a bakery and dine-in cafe and the initial RM600,000 has started bearing fruit albeit slowly.

In a recent interview with The Borneo Post, TGH’s director Chai explained that she got her inspiration when she was still studying in university and her interest deepened when she started to work as an engineer before finally culminating in a full-fledged baking career.

“The combination of cafe was a logical progress as the extra space provided customers with the opportunity to enjoy hot freshly baked bread  and bakery goodies while they are still warm as well as providing a cozy place for everyone to hang around and relax,” said Chai. The chic little outlet also provides wi-fi access for the computer buffs who refuse to be parted from their laptops.

When asked about some baking secrets and tips, she revealed behind the scene that a good quality butter  makes all the difference. “We have been doing research and development to improve our products, ensuring quality food to our customers and diners,” Chai added.

TGH has been supplying its famous pastries to few big names in the town including Pullman Hotel and Borneo Convention Centre Kuching as well as breads and buns to shops and even a pharmacy.

Moving forward, TGH which houses almost 400 different kinds of products plans to open a new outlet upon completion of the new bus terminal at Kuching Central.

“I will be allocating five per cent of my total revenue for advertisements and promotions in moving forward and hope that the second outlet will also be a favourite venue for the public to relax and enjoy fresh bakery products,” said Chai.

Usually diners associate tea with biscuits but TGH has something different up its menu, it serves Italian Lavazza coffee with delicious freshly baked home-recipe biscuits.

“Furthermore, our cookies also go along with the festive season, like for last Chinese New Year we worked on a red cheongsam design on the gingerbread cookies, we designed green colour outfits for Hari Raya as well as brown colour designs for the Gawai celebrations.

“We have been accepting special orders from customers and have so far provided excellent service and are getting very favourable feedback from our regular clients,” Chai revealed.

TGH is known for its delicious batches of freshly baked breads each day, pastries including Danish pastries, croissants, cakes, brownies, sponge cakes as well as ‘kueh lapis’, patterned lapis, unique cookies and much more.

Its signature products are its signature gingerbread cookies, mushroom chicken pie, curry chicken pie as well as the different types of polo buns.

Another popular product is the espresso cheese cake, made from a double shot of espresso which is blended with the cheese, it has a distinctive taste that would surely impress any cake lover.

“We actually provide organic bread as well as a low Glycemic Index (GI) bread for diabetics patients. Our bread is a very solid type of bread because of the solid texture. Some customers might not like it, but for the health conscious I would surely recommend it.

These days, cupcake presentations are a trendy choice among those who celebrate birthdays. TGH makes the most attractive cupcakes that come in a splash of variety of colours.

The dynamic Chai believes in experience sharing, she is considering the possibility of striking a collaboration with some big shot chefs to setup a workshop to teach baking skills. This may probably take place in a few months to come, depending on the request.

“I will be displaying a whole range of new cake presentations in May. My concept is to bring in hotel standards presentation to my shop yet sell at a very reasonable price. Consistency in quality is the main key in our product. If you get satisfaction from your customers, this is a success for me,” Chai shared.

TGH serve no pork and is in the process of applying for Halal certification.