Interview #36: Hazel Wong

1. How or why did you get started in cake decorating… was it by accident or did you always has a passion for it?
Cake decorating was totally an accident for me. After graduating from school, I started straight into a media career in an entertainment industry. It was a fun and exciting job and last for almost 2 decade. Slowly enough, I realized my job has become a routine and unfulfilled. It was then that I decided to look for a hobby to keep myself entertained. It seemed perfect when I stumbled upon a cake decorating class at a local bakery school where I took up a foundation of cake decorating with Wilton, and completed it with a Professional Diploma in Cake Decorating with PME.

2. Tell us a little about yourself, family, where do you live and what did you do for a living before making cakes if anything?
I have been living in Singapore since the day I was born. And I am happily married to a photographer for 12 years now and staying together with my gorgeous furry kid. I would and if I can, hoping to move over to Australia in the near future. Prior to cake decorating, I was an artiste manager in a media and entertainment industry.

3. What is the one tool you cannot live without and one you don’t have yet but really want?
Oh, this is so hard to choose! There’s really so many I cannot do without. If I really have to decide that would be my own made smoother using film sheet, petal veiner friller, ball tool and pasta roller machine. That’s four I know, but I just can’t live without them. What I don’t have and want it desperately? How about a Somerset fondant sheeter? Smooth and evenly fondant sheet in split seconds, how awesome is that? This has to be my dream to come true if I can own one.

4. How did you find cakes decor and what makes it a place you want to keep sharing on?
I chance upon cakes décor when I was searching for a cake forum to read. I remembered so clearly that I was a little hesitant and shy to post my very first cake, but it totally blown me away with all the positive words and encouragement from different cake decorators. That very first baby shower cake has even gotten me to the daily top 3 and editor’s choice. Cake décor is such a welcoming platform for cake decorators and every time I posted a new cake, I would feel very encourage and these encouragement allows me to think positive and definitely inject more creativity juice into me to work better on my next cake.

5. What part of making cakes do you like most and least?
I always feel that cakes are not complete without any floral elements. I love making sugar flowers and enjoy every moment in floral arrangement onto the cake! Seriously, I have said these many times and yes, I do feel frustrated when it comes to baking! My kitchen always need an overhaul after I am done with baking, I dislike the aftermath. I always tell myself “I am a cake decorator and not a baker you know!”

6. Tell us one thing about yourself that many of us might not know already.
Before cake decorating, I used to make custom accessories, such as necklace and bracelet. Business was pretty good until I set it up doing online sale. My custom designs have been copied so many times, and I decided to close it down.

7. What is your favorite cake you have done to date?
I reckon “Be My Valentine” is my favorite cake to date. I am glad to receive so many lovely comments on that cake and glad to see many have asked for permission to copy this design and floral arrangement.

8. Do you have a bucket list and if so what might one or two of those be and it does not have to be cake related?
At the back of my mind, I always wanted do to able to do a life size model figurines and a gravity defying cake. I hope I can challenge myself one of these days.

9. What would you say has been your biggest cake challenge to date and if you could have a do-over of it would you want to and what about it would you change?
There are always different challenges in every cake. It is always a challenge to a new techniques and skills I learnt or I could have learnt.

10. What is one technique or sugar skill that you have not tried yet but really would like to learn?
I read so much about modeling chocolate and I do admired artists that can do modeling figurines. I hope to achieve this skill from Karen Marie one day.
 
11. What’s the best lesson you have learned while making cakes so far?
Never ever take things for granted. Don’t ever underestimate the climate. Climate changes every day. Weather can affect the fondant and gum paste.

12. I heard you are in a collaboration organized by Zawadi Parizek. Could you tell us more about it?
I feel great when I get invited to participate in collaboration. 6 months ago, when Zawadi approached me to join her team in doing a World Aids Collaboration & Earth Day Collaboration, immediately I agreed to it. World Aids collaboration is about bringing awareness to the public to having a generation of children born without aids. 285 members were involved in this collaboration and I am proud to be one of them. This is the biggest collaboration I am involved till date. World Aids Day will be releasing this year December 2015 and Earth Day will be next April 2016. United Nations of Sugar Art has 2 goals; we strive to bring this to an international level and aim to do this as an annual affair. I am truly glad to be part of this.

Thank you Hazel for the interview!

Some of Hazel’s Cakes