Lauriane Dang van Nhan - Baker
Meet the lovely Lauriane Dang van Nhan, whose pastries are not only great to look at, but are to die for. Discover her path to becoming a pastry chef, on the side of a very demanding career.
How did you come to do what you do?
I got interested by everything related to food very early, when I was ten. But my passion for pastry actually came quite late, in my twenties. I started making birthday cakes for all my friends and colleagues, starting with simple cake design, watching tutorials online from American bakers. Lots of fondant, lots of sugar and butter. Very quickly I turned to French pastry as I felt this style of pastry suited me better. It took me eight years to eventually decide to pass the NVQ (French CAP) in Pastry as an independent candidate. It was quite intense, I had to gain a lot of skills very quickly and all by myself, while juggling with a job in communications, during a pandemic. But here I am, and I’m super proud of it.
What's the most exciting part of your job?
I am an avid learner; mastering new techniques or trying out new recipes is always very exciting. I also like to make people happy with my cakes. In my opinion, nothing beats the pleasure that food can bring to us, and being able to craft this pleasure is priceless.
What challenges do you usually encounter?
Juggling between this passion and my main job is very challenging as I don’t have a lot of free time to dedicate to baking. I need to work hard on building confidence in my skills as well as learning to be kinder with myself, and accept that not all cakes can be as perfect that I would like them to be.
Another challenge I have is food photography, I would like to improve it but I’m a not really good at it. I am very impatient and struggle to visualize how the final set could be, the kind of props I should use and their placement. It is definitely my next challenge for 2022.
And as for baking, macarons and croissants are still a mystery to me!
What's your typical day like?
My days are generally split between my main job and baking. During the day I work at home or at the office as a Cyber Security Specialist and in the evening, I switch hats and become a pastry chef. I spend time looking for inspiration on social media, thinking about future creations, planning for weekend orders, and of course, baking. Some cakes require a lot of preparation beforehand so there is always something to do in the kitchen.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Mostly on Instagram. It’s the perfect place to find pastry gems. I like to find accounts of fabulous bakers and pastry chefs around the world. A lot of them are so talented and they have great ideas of flavour combinations and cake designs.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
When I’m not baking, I like to create ceramic objects such as plates, bowls, jugs, etc. I would like to feature more of them in my pastry photos and why not start a little business with that later on! :)
What’s your go to track or album at the moment?
I usually listen to a lot of 80’s music, such as A-ha or Limahl, as it cheers me up for the whole day. But I have to share my latest guilty pleasure which is a Danish rapper called Tessa. I don’t understand what she says (and according to my Danish cousins the lyrics are really not great so I’m not missing out) but I like her energy :)
Any exciting news you’d like to share with our LIDO fam?
No big news for now :p
If you find yourself in the Nyon or Geneva areas (Switzerland), DM and order directly via Lauriane’s instagram page or through her website.
Photos courtesy of Lauriane Dang van Nhan
