What Happens When You Finally Take Yourself Seriously - Tracy Wong

0:00 When I feeling really tired, exhausted and then been crying so many times, especially when I'm in Paris. And so why am I up here? I can't understand the language. And then my sharehold is like really poor because of the really expensive living in Paris. And you just find like, oh, I feel so hopeless a couple of time. I keep thinking like, why am I here? I want I want to gain more experience, I want to improve and one sentence I always share with lots of people, which is one of those celebrity chef.

0:36 Let's just share a quotation with me with saying like you start something out of passion, but you keep doing it because you're stubborn. So I think this is the sentence that like holding me up whenever I'm feeling like struggle, I want to give up. They just thinking about why. Why? Yeah. So you need to stop it enough in order to keep tracing the dream. How many times have you gotten interested in something, found a passion, but had to give it up because it's not viable as a career? This episode is the first of Mind Blends miniseries, Rewriting the script of your life.

1:15 My guest today, pastry chef Tracy Wong, navigated financial uncertainty, self doubt and external expectations to pursue a craft intentionally and persistently. Her story speaks to anyone who's learned to overwrite their instincts in favor of logic, safety, or approval. Welcome to Mind Blend. I'm your host, Karen Chong. In each episode, I talk with people who've experienced something real and we breakdown what made the difference so you can see yourself and the world around you more clearly, spot what you might have been missing, and move through life with a clearer way forward.

1:53 If you like what you're hearing, share with those around you and subscribe to Mind Blend. You'll help a lot in spreading the insights for anyone who can use them. Let's blend. Today I want to talk about chasing dreams, the kind of dreams that fire you up, not just I want to make a lot of money. My guest today is someone who has definitely gone through all the hard work, chasing her dreams and actually doing something and achieving her goal. I have Tracy Wong with me here today, the founder of the pastry brand T Suite Map Pastry Shop and owner of Canal Street Coffee in Milton Keynes here in the UK and 1/4 finalist of Bake Off the Professionals in 2020, a very famous British baking provision.

2:38 If you don't know about it already, hi Tracy, welcome to Mind Blind. Hi. Hello, Karen. Thank you so much for inviting me to your show. I'm really excited and happy about it. I have been really excited too because one, I'm a sweet, like I have a sweet tooth as well. 2, As soon as I know about your story, I was like, I want to talk to Tracy. So tell me a little bit about your journey, how you got here today. It's quite complicated, but I tried to cut it short. So I original from Hong Kong and then I bought in Hong Kong and then I moved to Australia to continue my study and back to that time I was just like studied my uni and now working in Australia as a counsellor.

3:23 And on my day off I just love baking and then I just like bake cakes for friends. And since then I'm watching MasterChef Australia. If people live in Australia, if they know about the show, they they will love it. It's so good. So I get so many inspiration from the show and then one day or thinking why don't I just try to go to a different country and then tracing my dream. I love baking, but what if I'm trying to become a chef and then learn as I work and Fast forward? Then I went to the UK, two years as a working holiday, throw myself into a hotel restaurant working crazy hours and then a year in Paris and then Fast forward.

4:08 Now I'm have my coffee shop. Wow, so you just decided that you want to do it and then you move to? Basically, yeah, in the short sentence, yeah, just try that step out of my comfort zone. And then I always thinking why just give it a go if things didn't work out and I can always go back home. Yeah, I think having that fall back, it's something that you that help people, like give them courage to step out of their comfort zone, like this is not the end of the world. Yeah, I think that is the most difficult part for most of the people, especially like Asian people or not within naming different like culture or different type of person.

4:48 But most of the people will be hot for them to do something that they never try to do it and then have no job left your country and then try something different. That's that's the most difficult part, I think. Yeah. So did you just self-taught yourself baking? Yeah, it's kind of yeah, that's that's correct. So basically like when I work as a counsellor, office work and then basically on my day off Saturday, Sunday, I'm have nothing to do. And then I kind of thinking, OK, let's do some baking, making cakes for friends.

5:23 And then our mutual friend, like why that she must know about like my funny story, I always make like so many different cakes for them to try and I make them birthday cakes and just follow recipe. And I, I quite enjoyed it at that time, basically because I'm so stressful with my office work. And then on my free time, I just like focus on the recipe, how many sugars, how many flours, and then you mix everything together and then you just like a little kid, like sitting in front of the oven and then just waiting the thing to rise.

5:55 If there's nice, then just so happy to share with your friends. But if it failed and I'm really stubborn and it's like do that again, do that again until I can't get it right, then I will try the recipe again. Wow, that's amazing. Like I beg for fun, but I see, yeah. Yeah, you need to do like something that you enjoy doing it. Yeah, but when it fails, I'm like, what do I do with this? Like so my husband eats the failed stuff as well. Yeah, thankful for that. No, no, no. I mean, that's, that's the part Like a lot of people, they try something, they fail and then they give up.

6:35 But if you're interested enough, then you would just like keep doing until you succeed. I think that's the difficult part. Yeah, like not giving up. It's a difficult part. So you've experienced so your own culture, Hong Kong culture, Australian, UK and French. Like what? How has all these shaped you today? I think for my personality, I think I can say I'm quite stubborn in a good way. It's like never give up, but sometimes could be like stubborn. But also for my culture and my background as a Chinese, as a people from Hong Kong, we love dessert, but we don't we don't like something overly sweet.

7:25 So that's why when I go out for dessert, I will be very picky. So that's that's the thing. And then when I moved to Australia, I raised and studying and working there. And then luckily we, we got so many different option over there. We got like good coffee shop and dessert. Everything is like quite good over there. But I was thinking like, I've been there for like 12 years. I'm not going to like travelling around in Australia. So a little bit funny, like you're from Hong Kong and then you're travelling around Hong Kong.

7:54 So then at that time I was, OK, let's try to go to the UK then because it's a beauty that I can apply the working holiday and then everyone know about like in Paris or France, they do the best dessert in the world. And then it's really close to the UK. And I was like, OK, let's try to do it. And then that's how I start gaining my experience. And then that's how I share it to combine Asian culture, like Asian ingredients with like more Western style into my creation. So something different. And then have my own brand as well.

8:34 So when people taste it and they know, oh, this must be from crazy because they have the identity and then something different they can see from my creation. Wow, Yeah, like I I have seen so many even high end restaurant, high end dessert places now they have a lot of ingredients that normally typically historically you don't see in Western dessert. Yeah, I'm really. Yeah, that's it. But going back to when you first applied yourself in the UK to get yourself enrolled or employed at a restaurant, how difficult or easy was that?

9:09 Because I'm sure they wanted some experience of you as a tissue or something. That's it. Yeah, I think that's quite difficult. Like now. I still remember what happened for my first few months when I'm in the UK. So basically I did some quick courses before I moved from Australia to the UKI went to Taiwan for three months so I'm doing internship over there. I do some courses, intensive courses to learn all the basic in three months and then done about a month internship at one of the petitioners shop.

9:45 And then I gain a lot of experience there by just watching because like basically you're coming chef, like basically you're not even a chef. Like you just go there helping out the chef to wear ingredient and then prepare lemon juice and basically just all the basic job. But it's just like open up a lot when I in that environment. And then you just like a sponge. You just want to absorb like as much as like information and experience as possible. Then when I arrived to the UK and then I just keep applying jobs and looking for like anywhere if they willing to give me an opportunity to work for them.

10:30 And it's funny story though, like when I moved to the UKI was like, I would never, never work and live in the in London because first, it's really expensive. Secondly, it is it's very expensive and I just don't really like like too busy. It sounds funny. I'm from Hong Kong, but I want to like have a little bit peaceful. But unfortunately all the like good restaurant and restaurant, they all in central London. And so never say never. If you say that you end up we'll be landing there. So my first job, I found it will basically in the most busiest places in London it near the Tower Bridge.

11:12 So then yeah. So basically the the restaurant that opened like almost like 24/7, they open like half 7-8 in the morning and then they finish like kind of like midnight or until the last order. So luckily I found the job there and then the chef gave me the position and was I was super happy. But it's took me about like 2 months before I found that job. And then straight away I just found like shared house closest to the restaurant. Basically within within half an hour I can get to my work and and then since then I start my like 90 hours a week, 100 hours a week work.

11:56 My God, yeah. At my peak that was at a consulting company, I think it was 8080. And then back to when I work in Australia as an office work like counsellor which is 4045 hours a week. Yes, the. Normal. Yeah. Normal working hours, yeah, but that's a big change. But everything is like very new and then excited and then yeah, it's, it's just like a new page of life. So how did you end up in Paris? So Paris will be as I only have two years working holiday to work in the UK and then I gain my experience in a restaurant and then I change job to a five star hotel and then I love it.

12:47 The team is amazing, but it's really difficult to get a working visa. Basically they have to prove that like we can only employ you, but no other people can take this job, which is impossible at that time. I'm still kind of like normal combat chef or maybe slightly better chef tea party, but it's still like at least you have to be a head chef, have like so many year working experience in order to apply the working visa. So and I kind of thinking I still want to learn more. I still want to work in this industrial, this career.

13:24 Then I apply one year working holiday in France. So that's how I land in Paris for another year, 10 months I would say, and that it's another nightmare starting. Like tell us more. It's just it's. Really funny the one that went in the UK and I work with so many different French chef and then they can speak English of course, because they work in the UK, but of course they still very French when they speak English Same when we are Chinese. We speak like very like Hong Kong, Hong Kong style English than most people say.

14:03 But when I first before I moved to Paris and then all my French chef there was like, Oh no, you would be OK. Yeah, you would be if you like working in Paris. This is not. So basically I can't speak French at all. So basically I can't just say when you and Zava, that's it. And then soon I arrived Paris and I tried so many different like stand on my CV, my hotel job, my hash chef in with a lot of his French and then he helping me to translate all my COA comfort letter in French. Professionally it's really good and that's why I so easily I can apply the job and then send out so many e-mail and and that was a phone call.

14:53 I will send e-mail, but like whoever called me, they speak French and I can't understand at all. So that was the worst nightmare ever. And then I tried to use e-mail like Willy Brooklyn French to ask them, can you e-mail me the details? At least I can Google Translate. So we was talking about back to like seven years ago when people just use Google Translate. And yeah, so that was like really hard for the first month or two. I went to do some courses to learn the basic French. But like language, you need time to learn and practice so you won't be thrown in two months.

15:34 That is impossible. I'm not that smart. So that's why it's like really difficult. But I did went through so many different interviews. I went for trial shift and then it's just like when it eyes opening, I went to some Mission Star restaurant for Interfield. Trial shift kitchen was like super, super small, but they're like 2 Michelin star restaurant. Then I realized how important you need to be really organized. You need to be really managing really well. When I used to work in a five star hotel and then we got like big kitchen, you've got a big teams.

16:12 So basically you will never run out of spaces. But I still get chef like Touch me with a gear. You need to be organised. You don't need to be having a big kitchen if you're organising well. So that's come in practice and really good experience for myself. Well, I went for I think four or five interview and trial shift in Paris. And then it is really hot and I still remember a couple of the interview are using Google Translate with the chef when we're having our interview. Yeah, some of them are French, some of them are Japanese French.

16:55 So basically they are Japanese chef, but they are through on in Japanese and French. And then the partner is is local. So they even was like sure, you want to give her a child shift even like allow her to work in the kitchen for few hours to see if she's capable because I can't really communication well with your with the team and Fast forward. And then luckily I found a job, found a job like a restaurant job that worked near near Albertawa in in Paris. So I worked there 8-9 months before my visa finished.

17:37 So yeah, that that was that was good 6-8 months experience working in Paris, but I will never forget. Yeah, like I'm sure. So you had the 90 hours in the UK and then you end up like not speaking the language at all in France. Like all this combined is like mental and physical. I'm sure there are times that you're like, I want to give up. Like you're. Frustrated. Can you? Tell us. Of those moments. Yeah, I know that's happened like a lot of times, especially when I'm in in Paris, like in the UK, it's it's kind of OK because communication land growth is not a problems.

18:21 And now working with an amazing team. And then no matter how tired I am working 90 hours, 100 hours a week, once I step into the hotel, I just switch on. I'm getting excited, get the work done. And then when you finish, you're drinking beer with all the chef like very good, amazing, good service. And then go home, sleep and then come back again. But a moment when I like feeling really tired, exhausted and then been crying so many times, especially when I'm in Paris. And so why am I up here? I can't understand the language.

18:58 And then my sharehold is like really poor because of the really expensive living in Paris. And you just find like, oh, I feel so hopeless. But then a couple of time I keep thinking like, why am I here? I want I want to gain more experience, I want to improve and one sentence I always share with lots of people, which is one of those celebrity chef share with me when I was watching back to when I watching MasterChef Australia and then some of the Willow famous celebrity chef on one of the episode.

19:37 And then it's really inspiring me. And she was she studied accountant and then earning lots of money and then similar story to myself or my story similar to her. And then she quit her job and then went to Paris and then became a pet chef and then one of the pet chef in the world. And then she replied my message and I can't deliver it. And then she share a quotation with me with saying like you start something out of passion, but you keep doing it because she's stubborn. So I think this is the sentence that like.

20:12 Holding me up whenever I'm feeling like struggle. I want to give up. They're just thinking about why. Why? Yeah. So you need to stop enough in order to keep tracing the gym. Yeah, like you can easily give up. So I was a barista before and oh, OK, very similar. But I'm not good with my hands, so my protein is better than my hands. So operations is not the best for me. So physically, I wasn't really cut out to be a barista, but I'd be a barista. Growing up like that was like the only thing that I've actually wanted to do.

20:55 So after college, I eventually became one, but I lasted like maybe a year and a half, but that was it. Because I know it's not like I love coffee and I don't want coffee to become something that I just associate with hard work people, Yeah, like customers screaming at you. So that's when I, like pulled back. So I didn't like seeing stubbornness as and because I wasn't like, I wasn't really that. So now I just do it for fun. Yeah, yeah, you need to enjoy it. And then I did few year barista as. Well, really?

21:34 Oh yeah. Well, coffee shop. Yes, I love coffee as well. So that's why I did like a little burrito courses when I'm in Australia as a part time. So I went for courses get a part up. That's the that's the way to learn Australia, do a short courses and then just like get a part time job working in the coffee shop and then learn everything and then practice for free. So. Yeah, the practice I only get 2 drinks a day now I only get yeah so definitely not enough. So how did so when your parents visa was over, did you what?

22:14 What did you decide to do? So, funny story. Not funny, but it's the true fact. And so I met my partner when I was like working in the UK and then after my visa almost finished in Paris and then he proposed and then he, he. Yeah, so he's British. Like, I mean, he's from Hong Kong as well. And then basically he proposed and then I was like, OK, somehow I say yes. And then that's why I apply. He applied the lifestyle visa for me to stay in the UK. So I got a chance to move back to the UK from Paris.

23:02 But when I waiting for my visa to be granted and I was back to Australia for a year, that's where I start thinking to create cheese with map. Glad it is part of the she is the main person to encourage me to do so as well. So when I was waiting, my visa in Australia is away about maybe 7-8 months. So I went back to Australia. I have nothing to do except baking cakes, making cakes for them. Especially I wait for three years and this is like Tracy, come on, get us some cake, make up some dessert. So same again, start baking and then making cakes for them.

23:45 And then she was just thinking, well, why don't you start your own business? And then Instagram quite popular back in that time. So she encouraged me to like, wow, let's start your own businesses. And then Gladys Khaki those just like I did ask them what should I call my business name? So I think they gave me like different ideas and option and then end up by choosing like T sweat my like T stand for crazy swift map because I kind of living and working in different country. So it's kind of like swift on the map.

24:24 And then that's how I start the company name. And then after that got my visa moved to the UK. That was 2017. Yeah. And then now I'm in the UK. So you moved back to UK? Did you already start? How did you start the visit? Yeah, So when I moved back to the UK, for the first few months, I of course, I'm still kind of looking for work, looking for jobs, but I know from day one or the nice restaurant and hotel, they're all based in London. So I tried to find some places near where I live because my husband is live in Milton Keyne.

25:09 That's why everyone asks me, Tracy, why are you here? I I know I left. Australia, yeah, left Australia coming to the UK, but then you learn in Milton Keyne why? And yeah, that's the reason, because he live in Milton Keynes. Yeah. So I tried to look for different jobs like went for different interviews like some restaurants, some hotel and spa are places like nearby. Most of them you have to drive like 20 minutes or half an hour and went for in the field and then child shift like most of them. Luckily most of them, they give me the offer for the position, but then I kind of step back.

25:55 Is that something I really want to do it like working for someone and then I have to drive like half an hour in the dark and then I don't really like the UK Still after 10 years, I still

26:09 like hated. I if my husband here heard that he will be like, what? But yeah, it's really, especially now it's only like October. It's really dark. So dark. So it's it's. Hard for me to thinking I'll have to drive into work in the dark. And then I did that when I work in, but I'm taking the bus and then at that time I just, I don't care because I want to get all the experience and get all my experience. So I don't care about it. And then I have to just go to work. But now I've come back to the UK, I settled down here.

26:44 I need to think about what you all want for for my life. And then I start find a part time job, not as a patient chef because they don't have one nearby that I enjoy. And then I found a coffee shop where as a barista. So that's how I start when I first moved back to Milton Keynes. So that because it was part time, it sort of let you be time to pursue the baking side of things. That's it, Yeah. So I work part time at the coffee shop as a barista and then on my free time, I just like tried to like playing and run ingredients, doing different cakes and then proposed to my back to that time the coffee shop was like basically, actually I'm a Patrick chef.

27:32 Would you like to try some different cakes or sweet stuff to sell at the coffee shop? So they are after I keep trying and then Oh yeah, yeah. You can try a small batch and then just kind of doing my marketing research to see how like people like sort of like what sort of like they said they may like for the local custom because a lot of them is quite local. A lot of them is very British. So they just love something very sweet. And then I do understand that like dessert is not something you need it.

28:10 It's something that quite fancy. Maybe you like it, maybe it won't once a week, maybe once a month or even though for some people once a year when coming to the like birthdays. So I starting from there, planning the city, trying catching my like marketing research, like catching my customer base and then that's how I start teaspoon that. That's nice. So you started the brand and then you enter the competition. Yes, so it's really funny so I start my brand like she swim up and then luckily the coffee shop being so supportive, so I get to do like weekly creation and then customers start enjoying so they're looking forward for every weekend.

29:01 Oh, what was Tracy kick this week? What is Tracy kick next week? And then I using the social media. It's a really good we sources well, so I post on the story of what would people like to see for next week and then people would drop me messages something apple, something pear, something like chocolate tea. And then I've built up My Portfolio and after that I've been watching the Bake Off professional every year. And then Channel 4 kind of like drop me a message and wow. Oh, would you like to enter the competition?

29:38 And then also like, what was it like? No, Why? Because all the team went to the show. They are either they are five star hotel famous, like hotel restaurant. They have a business. And then I mentioned to them, yeah, I have my business because I'm the only staff for my business. I'm the chef because I'm the only chef within the company. And then they will say, oh, we saw your social media, we showed your Instagram. The the staff look amazing. Why not give it a go? And then I was thinking, oh, that's OK, not costing me any money, just apply.

30:16 I'm not going to lose anything. And then Fast forward, I apply it and I need to find a partner to do the competition together because it's kind of like a two people competition, a pair. So luckily I found a person that we used to work in the same hotel and then he's really cool. So. Oh, yeah, why not? Let's do it. So we applied it. And then Fast forward, we went to the audition and it was so nervous. Chris. And bring, bring it to London. Yeah. I'm sure. So I'm nervous baking at home. So like when you were saying earlier like you have to be org.

30:55 So did the when you were in France did they teach you Meson plus? Oh yeah, yeah, all the meson. Plus now my meson plus I, I yeah, better. But my meson plus was terrible before now after I had an episode on meson plus actually. And like after reading about meson Plus, talking to this other chef about meson Plus now like I work on my meson plus to help with the stress factor. So I don't. Read as I'm cooking. Yeah, the. Dishes the exactly like how you watch it. Like, exactly like how they appear on TV.

31:32 Yeah, it's very nervous to start with. And then basically we have no idea what we expected until we are there. And everything is still quite fresh to me now when I try to think back in time, but it's nervous, excited, and everything's so different because when you're working at home and then working in a new environment, it's different. Microwave at home is different. Induction at home is different than at the venue. So everything is so nailed. That's why I like you need to be organized. However, no matter how organized you are, there's always have things happen.

32:14 So that's why the competition is teaching me when things happen didn't go as planned, what are you going to do? So you always need to have Plan B plan C if something didn't work out the way that you want, but it's OK, it's not the end of the world. That's hard to, it's a hard lesson to learn. I'm still learning everyday. But yeah, it's like that is the best part. I learned from the competition. Like how to like on your feet? Like how to react or? That's it, yeah. When, when things happen, that's it.

32:52 Yeah. How how are you going to fix it? And then it's not the end of the world. And then everything's will be OK. Yeah. It's great that you got that like super intense version of every day in the, the kitchen cause like every day in the kitchen I'm sure is like already stressful, but when you're in a competition, you're broadcasted, you have a time limit like that's like like stress to the Max. That's it. Yeah. And especially got the camera right next to you. And then they were asking you like, oh, Tracy, can you tell us what to do?

33:26 And I was like, I'm cooking the comfort, OK, Can you say that in the whole sentence? So when people watching it, they will understand. And then you have to try to like mentally thinking, OK, now I'm going to do this. But then your time is like clicking. And then you have to try to remember like what to do next and then not burning thing and then do everything on time. So that's like multitasking skill. Wow. Yeah. Like I'm, I'm so glad you had all these experience all sort of just like adding to your tool set.

33:55 You learned the meson plot being organized in front. You learn all these techniques. You learned like how to be stubborn. You learned how to like just keep pushing forward because you have passion. So one thing that might be new in your sort of like CV is running a business now that you have your own shop. So what's something that you didn't know? Think. Unless I think I will have a coffee shop that early. So previously I was always kept thinking let's get out of the house. Then I looking for a studio somewhere.

34:34 I've got more spaces I can do my production and then I can make more cakes. Basically have more storage, more fridge and freezer. I can organise a bit more got more spaces, but it's really difficult to find like small studio workshop in building here and in Hong Kong. Other places they've got so many like like kitchen renting places, but not in here. And then when I the longer stay here and then I met my business partner as well. And then luckily we managed to find the premises, which here you can't really see it, but we found this premises and then they would say, OK, Tracy, let's open a coffee shop.

35:19 Was it OK? And then I didn't, I didn't really have lots of time to think. And but they've been keep looking and say OK, find a nice premises and then they know what Tracy want. Tracy wanna kitchen that she can do her production. And then I'd love to making more cakes for the local customer to try. They can enjoy it. And then we want to have a better coffee and cakes experience for the people here. So Fast forward, we find the premises and then we open the coffee shop. It'd been over 2 years now and then every day is a learning lesson.

35:58 It's not just like baking cakes. It's it's never that easy. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, because like what I wanted to ask is how do you balance the art and consistency? Because now you have to make 20 to 50. Yeah, the, the, the scale number is a lot digging out. So that is really good that I have that experience when I'm working in the hotel, when I work in a five star hotel in London. And then of course we're doing like lots of in the hotel. We do like restaurant, like morning breakfast, afternoon tea, evening service.

36:35 So I get all the experience learned from from that job, how to do my mix on 1st, how to be organised, how to do my job list, how to do my ordering. So all these kind of things that I gained from my job in the past. And that's really helpful Now coming happening like happening every day in in my job now in my life. Now in the past when I worked for the hotel, I go in ingredients where they're ready and only need to let my chef know I used the last bottle of cream. He will organise, he will order.

37:11 I took the last, last pack of the chocolate and then let him know and then that's it. But of course, when I working, I will also like thinking about, oh, what happened one day I'm going to have my own coffee shop wanted to know how to ordering. So I sometimes just look and learn And yeah, that's why how everything like kind of like, oh, my skill. Oh, I learned that before. Now I can use this. We're not running the coffee shop, but everyday it's still learning. Yeah, like it shows how useful it is to have some sort of goal out there in the distance because like there, you know, life just happened.

37:51 So it's just marching towards the goal, like kind of just be open. But it helps to sort of have like a general direction so you know of suddenly I want to open a coffee shop, so I should know how to just do my own. Yeah, I think that I plan to sit when I back in Australia when I'm still working as a counsellor. And I mentioned earlier I went to get a part time job as a barista because I know that I planning to go to the UK as a working holiday. And then I thinking maybe one day I want to open my coffee shop and then I love coffee.

38:28 That's why I'm planning to sit learning the latte art. And then at that time I get to learn how to do the pretty cash, how to closing and of course system. And everything will be different from business to business. But at that time, always thinking, OK, every day we need to have like how much like casserole and then blah blah, blah counterpart. Too. Or the basic one only counting like 0200. That's it. So, yeah, so. It uses a different. Yeah, I know it's hard, but that's how I plan to sit at that time.

39:06 And then now that's kind of useful when running a coffee shop. Yeah. What do you think is the biggest misconception about running a coffee shop? Like it's something that people didn't know and they. Oh yeah, I think hopefully maybe 10 hours 20 people, or maybe not 20 hours 10 people thinking open a coffee shop. Easy. And then people often think, oh, I just want to open a small coffee shop and I just want to make some coffee customer coming in, they enjoy it, that's it. Then we can earn money and then that would be happy ever after.

39:50 So that is wrong. So basically that is like that is like a Princess dream, you know, but when it come to reality, when you're running a coffee shop, then first you need all the costing and then you know how much budget and then you need to employ staff people to work for you. And then that's the first thing. Staffing always have problems. Secondly, you need to have good customer service. That is like very important as well, no matter how good your food is. But if you don't have nice customer service, people will never come back.

40:31 That's how I feel. And then third will be just organise again. Keep it going, organise, plan ahead and then that is difficult as well. So never think like people thinking like open the coffee shop, very chill, I'm the boss, I just sit here. Money will come. It's never happened. It's just like lots of money going out. Especially nowadays the economy is like a bit hard and everything's gone up and it's difficult, but that's most difficult. I always share with people you need to love what you do and then you need to thinking about it, you love doing it.

41:13 Then you open a coffee shop rather than, oh, open a coffee shop that's going to make lots of money, become a billionaire. If you start your mindset like that, it would never happen. Yeah, because you don't have, you don't have the space for creativity because that's not where your. Focus is. And. Yeah, just your focus will be a difference, yeah. Yeah, when you're the owner, you worry about wastage too. So when you're the staff, like I I made the cake, it's fine. Like a wasted a bunch of stuff when you're the trying to make sure like you don't wait as much waste as much stuff or like how do you how do you use the parts that you cut out into something else?

41:57 So Harry, like I have so much respect for you Tracy, and I admire you so much for doing what you did, just chasing your dreams, not giving up and just picking up all these skills as you go along. And I am really looking forward to visiting Mountain Keys so I can try out. Hey so for the last part I want to ask you some quick fun question. Yeah. So just step reaction, OK, what is your go to song or playlist when you're in the zone? Oh, Oh, that's hard. Let me try to think that is a funny question.

42:40 Because when I'm focused, I don't really care.

42:45 Yeah, I mean, I apply, but because when I'm working, I especially when I'm working in the coffee shop now and then when when we were in the hotel restaurant, the chef will pick music, whatever they like. And then for me, I just let my stuff to pick whatever music they like. And then I will say them happy stuff, happy boss. So pick whatever they like as long as they are not too loud, not too crazy. And then for me, sometimes they play the music and then say, oh, Tracy, do you like this? And this is I can hear the background noise, but I don't really listening to it because I'm focused into working.

43:24 But I think yeah, depends. Like sometime if I going to do some job or miss on pulse, I have to be steady piping then I don't want pop music, something soft. But yeah, it's a hard question, so. Something too distracting. OK, yeah, yeah. What was the biggest kitchen mistake you made? But it was totally worth it. Oh, mistake, but worth it. Not the mistake is disaster. I still remember so the mistakes that I've made it, but it's worth it. Yeah, learn about from it or. Oh yeah, I do. Oh gosh. So I remember when I working in the in the five star hotel in London and then I have to make a big batch of vanilla ice cream for people.

44:17 They never make ice cream before. Give you some info. So basically for the basic vanilla ice cream, you have to make your kind of like pastry cream base custard. So you have your cream, your meal, your sugar and your egg yolk. You have to cook it to a certain degrees and then cool it down. And then once you put it down, then you can put it in the ice cream machine turning it. And then I make a big mistake. I was cooking like almost cooking like 6-7 litre of like vanilla ice cream. And then basically before you start your job, like you basically need to get like loads of ice because one you're cooking big batch, you need to drop the temperature in a soft period of time because when you keep rising it and then to cook your egg yolk, if you're over 85°, your egg yolk will turn into a scrambled egg.

45:16 Then you can use your ice cream at that time. I forgot to prepare some ice next to me. And then in the hotel, it's like the storeroom and whatever you need to get is like really, really far away. So I forgot. And then even though the induction is off the hit and I put it on the side, but it still contains the heat. So it's still cooking temperature going up and I run going to get some ice, come back and then of course, and I'll become like Scrabble egg. And then my head chef was like, and of course he having a really difficulty day as well.

45:55 And then he just like you said how much money we waste on that. And then we used so many like vanilla ports because like vanilla ports to base. Yeah. But and I was like, so scared, I didn't cry at that time. But after that we tried to fix it. And then luckily it's fixed. Oh, we didn't. UA buddy. Yeah, yeah, we yeah, we were able to use it so very close that we have to be in it. But that was big lesson to learn and I will never never forget and then see now no matter what I do not just like baking, not just teaching my stuff in making cakes for all my stuff within the coffee shop.

46:44 Whatever you do, you have to prepare. Make sure you clean, make sure when I teaching you recipe, you have to scale everything. Double check, check it 3 * 4 times. Make sure you didn't have any mistake. Prepare all the equipment ingredients before you start your job because I don't want you running like me. You're cooking something you forgot. You go to grab it and then when you're thinking it's a 2 second job, end up you were wasting everything and then end up you're wasting your ingredients. You're wasting your time by wasting the ingredients and then I will raising like wages to employ you to do this job because we need to do it again.

47:27 And then if we don't have enough ingredients, then we can't get everything done on time for customer. So I've been teaching this to my my staff now as well. Yeah.

47:39 Yeah, yeah. It's a hard lesson to learn, but well, it's not like end of the world. You always learn from your mistake and then as long as you remember you will not get the same mistake again, then it's OK. Yeah, great. Last one, if your personality were a pastry or a dessert, what would it be? Yeah. Oh, I think I possibly will be like macaroons, yeah, macaroons, yeah. Because for me, I think macaroon is like it's really difficult to make it for me. I felt 1000 times. I think Gladys had tried so many, like fail one.

48:26 But basically like it's just like look simple, look easy, not as hard by the look. Like I would say maybe I look nice by the look and then, well, it's difficult. I mean, it's difficult to work, not difficult to work with, but it's difficult to achieve to making macaroons. It's simple ingredients, but if you want to make perfect macaroon, you have to practice, practice until you have a good result. So yeah, that may be me, I don't know, maybe a macaroon you. Kept like you wouldn't give up and. That's it.

49:10 Yeah, Yeah. You wouldn't give up and you make people keep trying to perfect it. Yeah, that's it. Yeah. Nice. I ate the macaron soup before I stopped baking the fun after moving to London because the electricity is. Oh yeah. But yeah, I do love baking. So I'm really glad you were on the show today. Thank you very much. And we have learned so much from your story, like it's not just a typical of push through, but really finding your passion ahead of time. Like finding something that you're passionate about and then March towards that.

49:46 It's so fulfilling and rewarding. Thank you so much. Thank you. So I so Tracy's Cafe for anyone in the UK. It's North Street Coffee in Milton Keynes anyone? If you happen to be in Milton Keyes, definitely give it a try and I'll put the store info and then Tracy's info in the show note. Thank you so much. Thank you very much.

50:14 Thanks for listening to this episode of Mind One. If you enjoyed the conversation, don't forget to follow and share it with anyone who needs to hear it. And let's keep the conversation going. Connect with me on LinkedIn or leave me a comment. Until next time, stay curious, keep exploring, and let's continue to blend our minds and discover what's possible.