Husband and wife duo Ryan and Seren Chu never set out to make a neighbourhood institution. But since its inception in 2015, the couple's eponymous bakery in Perth's inner-city suburb, Highgate, has developed a cult following of pastry enthusiasts.
Snaking lines around the block to the bakehouse is not an uncommon sight, neither is nearly selling out daily. It's not a bad feat for two self-taught bakers. However, perhaps a life destined for making dough wasn't so unexpected for the married couple.
Ryan tells SBS Food, "I grew up with a lot of bread and pastry products, which is uncommon for a Chinese household.
"My parents lived in Hong Kong, and my mum had always been fascinated with Western culture as Hong Kong is like a mishmash of British and Chinese cultures."
Ryan didn't overthink the impact of his childhood bread intake until later in life. After graduating from university, Ryan worked as a town planner. During that time, Ryan met Seren at a party in the regional town of Busselton, and romance bloomed. They continued a long-distance relationship until the commuting became tiresome.
Seren and Ryan Chu of Chu Bakery. Source: Chu Bakery
"Seren's family owned a bakery in Busselton, and one of their bakers was leaving for Canada. Seren made a passing comment about getting a job there," Ryan says.
Wanting a change, Ryan joined Seren working at her family's bakery.
Baking bread helped to give Seren's parents a better life. Seren's Vietnamese parents first escaped Vietnam by boat to the Philippines. After living in a refugee camp for two years, they were encouraged to pick up a skill that would help them get a job in Australia.
Seren says, "My parents picked up baking, and that's why you'll find a lot of Vietnamese bakeries in Australia." Seren's parents worked in Sydney when they arrived in Australia and eventually relocated to Busselton and opened a bakery there.
"I never worked in the kitchen with them, but I was a child born into a bakery. I learned some skills working there after school hours, and I managed their business after I finished high school," she says.
Before we opened, there was a line, and it was so frightening because, for the first time, people were coming to eat something we had made.
Ryan says, "At first, it was incredibly difficult in terms of sleeping, the hours I worked, and the pace of the work. But I really enjoyed working with my hands and the overall environment.
"High volume, high production; it was a typical Australian-style country bakery with pies, cakes, and bread rolls."
The couple eventually relocated to Perth, with Ryan returning to work as a town planner. Ryan soon missed the baking life and took a role managing a bakery. Growing tired of baking on someone else's terms, Ryan proposed to Seren that they open a bakery together.
Chu Bakery is packed with Hong Kong delights. Source: Chu Bakery
"I wasn't into it. I saw how much my parents worked – seven days a week – and the volume of food they were making. It was hard work," Seren says.
"I said 'no', and he said, 'Well, why don't we do it better, though?'"
The thing that swayed Seren was baking with high-quality ingredients. "We didn't want to do high volume; we wanted to be a neighbourhood bakery making beautiful products that we're proud of making," Seren explains.
I really enjoyed working with my hands and the overall environment.
The couple soon established their own bakery. They decided to manage a section each; Ryan took care of baking and Seren looked after pastry. Because Seren didn't have any prior experience with pastries, she taught herself. They focused on a few core products, including twice-baked croissants, brioche, doughnuts and spreads. Wanting to incorporate their respective heritages' palates and seasonal flavours, they developed passionfruit chilli doughnuts and coconut, finger lime and pineapple pastries for their limited menu.
"It's all the things that we want to eat and share," Ryan says.
Seren explains that they avoid making pastries with heavy flavours. "We didn't want to have super strong, super sweet, heavy flavours. We wanted a light palate, so you didn't feel like you ate something really naughty."
As for where they wanted to establish their bakery, it was a no-brainer.
Ryan says, "We always wanted a spot across the road from a park so people could enjoy our pastries in the park. It was the dream."
They found a lone corner store available for lease on an online marketplace. It was just as they envisioned, opposite one of Perth's most picturesque parks. But starting their bakery wasn't without its hurdles.
"We were a bit frightened because our parents weren't supporting us," Seren says. "They were making us rethink the location because there was nothing else around, and the foot traffic was pretty low at the time, but we wanted something low-key and to start small."
But shortly after opening, they caught the eye of a local food influencer. An image of a strawberry tart went viral, and hungry Perth locals flocked to the bakery.
"Soon enough, before we opened, there was a line, and it was so frightening because, for the first time, people were coming to eat something we had made," Seren says. "It was surreal."
We're so happy seeing kids eating our doughnuts and breads because we're influencing a generation.
Since then, it has become one of Perth's much-loved bakehouses. Even the pandemic didn't impact its popularity.
Ryan laughs, "During COVID, some customers joked that bakeries were the new nightclubs just because of how long our line was."
These days, a trip to Chu Bakery before crossing over to Hyde Park to enjoy a picnic has become a popular pastime for both young and old.
"We wanted a place that feeds the local area. We love seeing all the families come, have children, and grow up," he says.
Seren adds, "We're so happy seeing kids eating our doughnuts and breads because we're influencing a generation. The satisfaction we get is making food that people enjoy. And the greatest compliment is that we get the same people coming back."
498 William St, Highgate WA
Tuesday-Sunday: 7am-4pm
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