It was a special lesson today. We had our lesson at a social enterprise restaurant located in North Point, called “Time to Gold” which was founded in 2021 and is an award-winning social enterprise dedicated to preserving traditional pastry culture. They employed senior women to create unique Chinese pastries and desserts using innovative methods, passing down precious culinary traditions and promoting employment and cultural preservation for the elderlies.
We invited the Co-founder, Celeste Yeung, to share her entrepreneurial story with us.
Celeste Yeung is a young and pleasant lady who was a journalist. However, she had chosen and ventured into the food industry, running this social enterprise restaurant. I really admired her courage so much!
We enjoyed delicious traditional pastries while we listened intently to Celeste sharing her experiences in operating the business. Celeste generously shared with us on product development and transformation, sales strategies, market positioning, cost calculations, and interaction techniques with senior pastry chefs. Throughout her presentation, I could feel her energy and enthusiasm in the business! She also shared various business operational details that inspired me a lot.
Although the restaurant was not large in size, the simple decor and unique arrangements showed that it had been specially designed, making it a comfortable and pleasant place to sit. A group of Taiwanese tourists arrived and settled at the restaurant’s entrance. I was watching them through the glass door, where, they kept nodding their heads and felt satisfaction when they tasted their dishes. I believed that they were very happy with the food!
One of our fellows ordered the restaurant’s signature dish: the nostalgic pastry platter. When the server brought it out, we all exclaimed ‘Wow’. Each small grid was filled with exquisite traditional pastries, which were very eye-catching. Undoubtedly, my classmates were surprised and satisfied with both the presentation and taste of the food.
Transforming “old-fashioned” traditional Chinese pastries through product enhancement and creative packaging sales methods could encourage the younger generation to taste and understand them, while we were also cultivating the important heritage of Chinese traditional culture. I felt this was very meaningful. Celeste and her team are building “Time to Gold” step by step, and I hope their perseverance and dedication continue to expand with their business!
Fan Chu
2024-2025 Moms4Moms Fellowship Program fellow
27 Feb 2025