About the Author: Vincent Gabriel
Vincent Gabriel is a business consultant who has written more than 40 books on doing business in the F&B industry and on human resource management.
The Bakery Eatery marks the biggest change in the Asian diet. Five years ago, Asians ate rice only and bread was considered the food of the foreigners. The French introduced the baguette, the Portuguese the tart to Macau, the Spanish introduced the Pandesal to the Philippines, the Dutch the King's cake that became the Kueh Lapis. All these introductions have been important but suddenly:
* Asian affluence
* Need for variety in food
* Need for some food less starchy than rice
have caused rich communities in the cities of Asia like Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mumbai and the Arab Middle East to demand Western style bakery products.
There was a time when the common supermarket bread, the tinned fruitcake, was considered chic but not now.
You have this grand opportunity to use your baking skills and tap into this market.
I have taken the path of least resistance by introducing bread as the main item of breakfast and the Bakery Eatery as the place for all day breakfast.
I have also gone one little step forward by going into sandwiches, pizzas, savoury buns and others because this will be the direction you move to grow the bakery eatery into a wide spread food offering in Asia.
The potential for growth in bakery products is limitless, as Asians become more globalized consumers. They have been introduced to burgers, to waffles, to pancakes and sandwiches and they are asking for more.
What is needed is a creative baker with ideas to tempt the taste buds.
Asia has much contribute. Asian spices have tickled the taste buds in the rice dishes. With a little experimentation these spices can be applied to bread.
Asian beer and wine have been paired with rice dishes. With some trial they can be paired with the bakery products.
Asian ways of preparing meat and fish and vegetables in curry, soy sauce or roast or tandoors can produce items that can go with bakery products. The curry puff is one simple example.
I wish you every SUCCESS on your bakery adventures and I know that the diet of Asia would be more varied because of you.
