Desserts are making a mark in Singapore

Foodies were shocked when the news broke that Soh Hui Shan had left her job as head pastry chef at the Hong Kong Street restaurant Willow. Since opening the charming modern Singaporean restaurant at the beginning of the year, Soh had been wowing customers with her elegant, intelligent, technically refined and ridiculously delicious desserts.

Tasting her nostalgic creations, each based around a childhood snack or long-lost local flavor, was a highlight for many regulars.

Soh recently opened her own restaurant, Catkin by Huishan, a dessert bar located within the Twenty Eight Cafe in Sophia Flats, at the corner of Wilkie Road and Niven Road.

Soh's new cafe offering both dessert omakase and la carte dessert options is her moment to shine.

My first brush with the F&B industry was way back when I was just finished secondary school. The times were tough and I didn't come from a well-to- do background, so I paid for my pastry education by working many different part-time jobs that involved cooking and baking. I tried to work as a member of the service staff.

I was 13 when I started baking. I feel lucky to have found my passion early in life. So many people spend a long time pondering their future.

I wanted to work in hotels, decorating cakes for a long time. I was assigned to The White Rabbit in Dempsey Hill while I was in pastry school. That was when I realized that I really enjoyed the rush of service and found my calling as a restaurant chef.

I've worked at several more places. I was in Le Matin Patisserie just before Willow and after Zen, where I developed my pastry-making skills. Before that, I worked for the now defunct Cheek by Jowl, which had been my favourite restaurant. I managed their pastry section and was given the chance to create my first dessert. It was rough around the edges, but it was an incredible experience for a young chef.