甜點 是一種對自己的犒賞｜ 淳 手作甜點工作室

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彰化市中正路二段461巷7號 No. 7, Lane 461, Section 2, Zhongzheng Rd., Changhua City 500, Taiwan

04 728 8377 FB: 淳 手作甜點工作室

我的甜點路就像日劇一樣,有番外篇、特級篇…。現在的「淳 手作甜點工作室」已進入第四年的時間，隨著開店過程與客人互動，發現大家對於甜點的喜歡可以更加升級。以前在日本學習的期間，在當地不論便利超商、超市，都可以方便地購買做甜點的工具、食材，讓孩子從小就能親手製作甜點和料理，也因此更懂得品嚐甜點好吃的滋味、層次。在未來，除了在店內跟客人說明甜點製作過程，也期待自己能開出不同的甜點課，讓更多人從動手做甜點中更認識甜點的文化。

甜點 是一種對自己的犒賞

回想還沒踏上甜點路的自己，當時的我就跟現在的國中生一樣，有著不小的考試壓力，有著沒日沒夜的模擬考。不論自己喜不喜歡念書，台灣的國中生都要面對這段日子，當時考試、段考後都會買個蛋糕犒賞自己，就覺得是件開心的事情，也就這樣開啟吃甜點之路。

甜點 是一段堅持自己的路

當初踏上甜點的學習歷程，也是掀起自己一番小革命。起初高中進入符合家人期待的彰化高工，經過一學年的學習，更加清楚工科的學習領域並不是自己的興趣，反倒在當時更確定自己嚮往料理、餐飲的發展，就在高一過後瞞著家人辦了休學，堅持讀了餐飲科。

進入高中餐飲科，開始中餐、西餐、甜點的學習，當時甜點並不是專一的學習項目而是廣泛的學習，從台式的鳳梨酥、蛋黃酥、綠豆椪，乃至西式的戚風蛋糕、麵包，與現在的甜點有很大的落差，在當時只能說是「通才式」的學習。

高中畢業後順利進入高雄餐旅大學，當時在班上有一種北、中、南餐飲世家都聚集的感覺，有很多同學都是從小就開始在家裡的麵包店、糕餅店培養，因此很多人早早就是甜點、麵包…中西餐比賽選手，甚至有同學大二就擔任吳寶春的助手，也因此這段大學的學習之路走起來更加熱血。在當時和同學會組同好會一起購買日本的雜誌cafésweets、法國蛋糕協會雜誌，一起討論食譜、作法。另外，也很著迷日劇「西洋古董洋菓子店」看到日式甜點的製作過程、整體造型與帶給人很溫馨的感受，這都是當時漸漸被建立的。

甜點 就像一場華山論劍

開始進入職場工作後,有一段時間在台北知名飯店工作，當時飯店甜點部門師傅有分歐美派、日本流派。歐美師傅就像即興藝術家，做甜點都不需要食譜、磅秤、比例，這些資料就像媽媽做菜灑鹽一般，隨興有滋味。反觀日本流派師傅，對環境整潔、器具無一不講究，磅數更是斤斤計較。在這樣的環境下工作，也從歐美派學習到建立原創甜點食譜，更從日本派學習對工作的專注職人精神。

甜點 讓自己找到回家的路

2013那年是從日本甜點工作結束的時間點,當時不斷猶豫要繼續在日本甜點店工作，或是在台北甜點業謀生。在這一段時間也不斷思索，在日本認識的台灣人都有很好的工作條件，但似乎都選擇離開家鄉，而早已離開家鄉多年的我，要回到彰化一個安靜又變化不大的小城鎮嗎？！停頓與思索的時間也沒讓自己閒下來，當時因為阿公的房子一樓空間沒有在使用,恰巧有個學設計的朋友也想累積一些設計相關作品,因此就在彰化民權市場一個矮房子內埋頭做蛋糕，就這樣在彰化待了下來。在那段將近兩年的時間，自己定位為不對外營業的工作室，只接受客製訂單，因此有很多創意蛋糕都在這時候累積。往往翻閱甜點書，看到什麼就做什麼，沒有拘束，自由的累積更多從甜點得來的靈感。

甜點 驅動自己再升級

從民權市場的工作室型態，走進現在中正路巷弄店，最大的不同是廚房空間寬廣了，以前的店兩個人就要閃身了，而現在廚房能容納四人同時工作，另一點是現在有固定的開店時間，也能讓客人在店內的時間更為舒適的選購甜點。這些改變也讓自己的身分有所升級，以前在工作室可以隨心做甜點，現在人手、場域都改變了就要提升甜點的製作量、員工的教育訓練，自己也要從師傅更增添經營、管理及教育訓練的課題。

甜點 讓自己專注做好一件事

在日本的甜點店多數屬於外帶店，大家買甜點與家人、朋友一起享用是普遍的習慣，而甜點店的存在也是區域化的。一間甜點服務一個區域的客群，彼此的距離約10~15分鐘內的交通車程，這樣的形態也希望逐步建立在「淳 手作甜點工作室」。好好做好甜點,融入在地味食材，創造屬於彰化自己的味道，做出彰化人喜歡的甜點。

Dessert is a treat to myself

Recalling the time before I started making desserts, I remember when Iwas in junior high school, I was no different from regular middle school students nowadays. I was faced with considerable pressure from endless examinations. Whether I liked studying or not, students in Taiwan inevitably have to go through this stage. At that time, buying myself a cake after exams gave me such joy, and that was how I embarked on my dessert journey.

Making dessert is the journey I was determined to embark on

My decision to start learning about desserts was quite revolutionary back then. At first, I was admitted to Changhua Industrial Vocational High School as my family anticipated. Soon after a year of study, I came to realize that science is not my passion. In fact, I was determined that I wanted to pursue a culinary career. Thus, I secretly dropped out after I finished my freshman year in high school and transferred to study in the department of food and beverage instead.

I started to learn about Chinese cooking, western cooking and dessert making as I entered the department of food and beverage in high school. At that time, dessert was not a stand-alone subject but a big category of items ranging from the Taiwanese pineapple cake, yolk pastry, mug bean pastry, to the western chiffon cake and bread. That said, it was extremely different from the definition of dessert we are familiar with nowadays, so I would say my past learning experience in school was more of a “general study”.

After I graduated from high school, I was successfully admitted to Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism. My class was a big gathering of descendants of well known culinary families coming from all over Taiwan. Many of my classmates have had experiences helping out at their family businesses like bread shops and pastry shops. Therefore, a lot of them have engaged in Chinese and western culinary competitions since young. There was even this classmate of mine who began to assist Wu Bao Chun in our sophomore year. As you may have already felt the momentum, my college life was exhilarating as I was surrounded by so many talented peers. I would start up groups of same interests, purchase Japanese magazine Café Sweets and magazines published by the French Cake Association and discuss about recipe and techniques with my classmates. Additionally, I was very obsessed with the Japanese desserts in a Japanese drama, “Antique Bakery”. The making and overall presentation of the desserts gave me such warmth. These are the little things that started accumulating back then.

Dessert-making is like a fierce battle

I once worked at a renowned hotel in Taipei where the dessert department I belonged to was segmented into two factions, the European/American faction and the Japanese faction. The European/American style pâtissiers are like artists who improvise at will. To them, dessert-making requires no recipe, no scale, no ratio. Ingredients are to be used spontaneously like a cooking-mom adds salt to her dishes confidently. Improvised creations taste better. Whereas, Japanese style pâtissiers regard tidiness of the environment and equipments highly. Not to mention the high standard of precision in scales. Having worked under pâtissiers of both styles, I learned to establish originality in dessert recipes from the European/American faction and the professional spirit from the Japanese faction.

Dessert shows me the way home

2013 was the year I returned back home from my dessert career in Japan. I was constantly caught in a dilemma between staying at the Japanese dessert shop and entering the dessert industry in Taipei. One thoughtobsessed me particularly, “Do I want to go back to the quiet, hardly-ever- changing Changhua after having met so many people in Japan who choseto leave their hometown?”

I kept myself busy during the time I was still pondering over my options. At that time, the first floor of my grandpa’s house was not used, and I happen to have a friend who wanted to do some designing projects for practice. Hence, I started baking cakes in a small house in Changhua Minquan Market and settled down in Changhua. During that two years, I operated my studio privately and only took customized orders. A lot of my creative cake ideas derived and accumulated back then. I used to make whatever I saw on dessert books without concerning anything.

Dessert upgraded me

Transforming from the private studio in Minquan Market into the store in the alley of Zhongzhen Road, the biggest different probably is the kitchen size. The two of us used to have to squeezed in the tiny kitchen as opposed to now, our kitchen allows four people to work simultaneously. Another thing is that the store now opens regularly to allow customers to come in and take their time to choose their desirable desserts. These changes also lead to the upgrade of my position. I used to enjoy making whatever I like depending on my preference and mood, but now I have my own staffs and a different business model. I need to increase the number of desserts we make and train my staffs. Basically I myself has become more than a pastry chef but also a businessman, manager and trainer.

Dessert makes me focus on doing one thing

Most dessert stores in Japan are only for take-out. It is common to buy and share desserts with family members and friends, and the location of dessert stores is segmented based on areas. A store offers its services to a demographic in a certain area. Each store is 10 to 15 minutes away from one another. I hope to gradually incorporate this mentality into Chun Dessert Studio, endeavoring to dessert-making, using local ingredients, creating a distinctive taste of Changhua and creating desserts that are favored by people in Changhua.