Spotlight on Taiwanese chef Cheng Hsien-hao
Spotlight on Taiwanese chef Cheng Hsien-hao
2022-11-02
Today, in our spotlight series, we meet Cheng Hsien-hao, a Taiwanese chef hoping to provide "a slice of home" for expats. Together with an American friend, Cheng has opened up a dessert shop selling apple pies and pumpkin pies. Our very own Stephany Yang joins Cheng in the kitchen to find out what makes their apple pies taste like home.
He mixes the butter and flour thoroughly. Then he adds the dough into a plastic bag and puts it into the refrigerator.
Next, he coats five apples with cinnamon, before heating them all up with butter, water and sugar.
He adds the apple filling into the pie crust and it’s ready to go into the oven to bake. This is Cheng Hsien-hao, co-founder of a dessert shop. Cheng says that one of the keys to making apple pies is preparing and making the pies in an environment of around 18 degrees Celsius or cooler.
Cheng Hsien-hao
Pie baker
The pie needs a really low temperature. It’s also good for me because I get sweaty really easily. So I really like to stay in an environment is always lower temperature. When I finish one step, I need to take the pie into the refrigerator to make it always feel cold. Pie needs patience to make it from the start to the end. Actually, one apple pie needs to spend almost three to four hours to make.
This July, Cheng and his American friend decided to open a dessert shop, selling American-style pies. Cheng says his friend, who is from New York, had failed to find a taste similar to that of his mom’s homemade apple pies in Taiwan, which is why the two decided to make the pies themselves.
Cheng Hsien-hao
Pie baker"
In the past, I also have been to America for a language school for maybe around three months. During that time, I also went to New York and California to try their desserts. I really enjoyed it. When I came back to Taiwan, I met Way. He had the same problem; he couldn’t find the same flavor with his mom’s apple pie. We said, "Maybe we can try making it ourselves." I still remember when he took the pie out of the oven. He tasted it and said, “Finally, we can have a slice of home here in Taiwan.”
Before starting their business, Cheng worked in marketing. His business partner taught English in Taiwan. Cheng says they learned how to make pies by experimenting.
Cheng Hsien-hao
Pie baker
We studied by ourselves because Way already had the flavor in his brand. So we just tried to look at a lot of recipes. We tried again and again. We just try and taste it. Actually, we also spend a lot of time doing other desserts. Our company’s goal is to make people feel that they have the home taste anytime and anywhere in Taiwan. Especially, the feeling of home. Especially, use western ingredients.
The duo hopes that their pies can help their patrons get a taste of home and feel less homesick.
蘋果派解鄉愁 甜點師傅鄭仙昊專訪
2022-11-02
在今天的人物專訪系列報導中，我們來認識一位台灣廚師鄭仙昊，他與一位美國朋友一起開了一家甜品店，專賣蘋果派和南瓜派，希望為外籍人士提供家鄉味。就讓我們一起來看看製作派的秘訣。
將奶油和麵粉充分混合，然後把麵團放入塑膠袋裡面，再放入冰箱。
接下來，把五個去皮、切片的蘋果，均勻地沾上肉桂粉，然後把奶油和糖加上一點水慢慢加熱，好好攪拌均勻。
再把蘋果餡料加到餅皮裡，這樣就可以送進烤箱了。鄭仙昊是這家甜點店的合夥人。
[[主廚 鄭仙昊]]
"派需要在溫度比較低的環境才能做。我也很喜歡在這樣的溫度工作，因為我很容易流汗，所以我真的很喜歡待在溫度較低的環境中。當我完成一個步驟時，我就要把派放進冰箱裡，讓它們冷卻。而且，製作派的過程，從頭到尾都要很有耐心。實際上，製作一個蘋果派通常需要花將近三到四個小時。"
今年七月，鄭仙昊和他的美國朋友決定開一家甜點店，賣美式口味的派。鄭仙昊說，他來自紐約的朋友在台灣遍尋不著和他媽媽做得蘋果派一樣的味道，因此，這也是兩人當初決定自己做蘋果派的原因。
[[主廚 鄭仙昊]]
"過去，我曾經去過美國的語言學校，大概三個月左右。在那段期間，我還去了紐約和加州，試吃了那邊的甜點，我真的很喜歡。當我回到台灣時，我遇到了Way。他也有同樣的情況；他說他找不到和他媽媽做得蘋果派一樣的味道。然後，我們就說，”也許我們可以試著自己做做看"。我還記得，他把派從烤箱裡拿出來的情景。他嚐了之後說：終於，我們可以在台灣吃到家鄉味。"
在創業之前，鄭仙昊從事行銷工作，他的合夥人則是在台灣教英文。鄭仙昊說，鄭仙昊說，他們透過自學的方式，然後一次又一次地做實驗，才學會如何做這些派。
[[主廚 鄭仙昊]]
"我們自己研究，因為Way在他自己的品牌已經做出屬於自己的味道。所以我們只是試著找很多食譜，一次又一次地嘗試。我們試做，然後再試吃。其實，我們也花很多時間做其他甜點。我們的目標是，讓在台灣的遊子，隨時隨地都能感受到家鄉的味道。尤其是感受到”家的感覺”。所以，我們特別使用西方的食材。”
鄭仙昊希望他們的派可以讓他們的顧客嚐到家的味道，就不會這麼想家了。
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