We recently connected with Jackie Wong and have shared our conversation below.

Jackie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’m a self-taught baker with no formal training. Most of the basic skills I learned from scouring YouTube and a lot of trial and error. I have two engineering degrees and apply a lot of my experience with measurement, mechanics, thermodynamics, and tooling to my baking processes. However, YouTube has its limits, and I had to dig a little deeper to refine my craft.

Last year I finally bought an online course from a cake shop I truly adored (Tortik Annuschka), and it was a game changer for me. I learned really special recipes and techniques not covered in usual YouTube videos. The building blocks are helping me elevate my cake aesthetic, and I’m bringing in other inspirations such as traditional English piping skills and my love of modern art and architecture.

I wish I took that course earlier in life – specifically before I had my daughter – so I could have had more time to experiment and get faster at my craft. Currently I can only bake after she goes to bed, so I’m very limited on bandwidth to practice!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started getting serious about baking in 2018 when I was on the keto diet and determined to make delightful, sophisticated pastries in contrast to the bricks of almond or coconut flour usually found in recipe blogs. I took a deep dive into food science and researched the way sugar, sweeteners, and wheat gluten behave in recipes. When I decided to return to standard recipes a couple years later, it was actually 1000x easier to bake – sugar is such a magical ingredient and I really enjoy working with it…consumption in moderation though! In honor of my early baking days, I keep low carb menus of my cakes and pastries available by request.

On the artistic side of things, I’ve had an eye for fashion and art and all things crafty. I have a long history with knitting, sewing, costume design, paper crafts, and 3D modeling. I love receiving a client’s inspiration for a cake design and taking it to the next level with my own touch of modernity and character. Seeing their faces light up is the best reward!

Another unique item I offer are artistic character macarons. After years of practice with this notoriously difficult cookie, I have developed skills which allows me to create French macarons in virtually any color and image! I am most proud after pulling a tray of perfect French macaron shells out of the oven with beautiful feet and bright colors.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I had a devastating moment this year when I had collected pre-orders for 4th of July bomb pop character macarons. They turned out super adorable and I put a lot of effort to advertise and hype them up! It was the night before pickups were scheduled and I was getting ready to pack them up at 1am. When I pulled the tray out of my fridge, the far edge slipped before I could catch it and every. single. macaron fell to the floor and shattered. There was no salvaging any of them. For a moment I thought about staying up all night to start over, but it was unfeasible. I ended up cancelling and refunding everybody. I nearly swore off baking for the public again. I took some time to decompress from that disappointment and eventually got my mojo back, starting with basic macarons and changing the way I stored them. ALWAYS holding trays with two hands now. I regained confidence in my process and was able to offer a large batch of specialty macarons in the fall which was really successful!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being a creative means we produce things that come from our psyche, our brainchild, and it comes with immense care and pride, and some kind of narrative. The most rewarding moments for me come when somebody with fresh eyes can appreciate what I created and can actually identify those elements that I obsessed over, trying to communicate with flavor and visuals. Maybe it all sounds a bit much for dessert, but it’s my passion!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sansserifbakery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sans.serif.bakery/profilecard/?igsh=aTAzZXJzcnE3M3lh
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/142u3NXjAt/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sansserifbakery?si=02hOLV6SvWCaelhA
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sans.serif.bakery?_t=8rMqRCGv6J4&_r=1