T H E B AROS S A MAG | 57
“I think baking is the
thing I do to relax, I have
no stress at all when I do
my cooking. I don’t have
to think, I just do it.”
- Winni Wong
A devotee of French patisserie,
Winni Wong is living la dolce vita
with gluten-free desserts as delicious
as they are exquisite.
Her contemporary, seasonal desserts
are characterised by their intricacy
and attention to detail, the execution
as important to Winni as the flavour.
And while the modest patissier insists
pastry is “a science”, her handcrafted
creations can only be described as
works of art.
Winni not only reinvents classic
desserts, she also gives them a realistic
representation; strawberry gateaux
might be a luscious berry, citrus
meringue tart a vivid yellow lemon.
It’s been two years since Winni
took the plunge and left corporate
accounting to launch her business,
Mirror Mirror Patisserie – wordplay
on the mirror glaze that gives her
desserts a shiny lustre.
A self-confessed “fan of dark chocolate”,
Winni is also an emerging chocolatier,
winning a gold medal in her first South
Australian professional competition in
September to complement gold in the
professional baking class.
A regular stallholder at the Barossa
Farmer’s Market, Winni is also
expanding her market share, launching
a complementary dessert bar for high-
end events and special occasions.
With a natural flair and finesse for her
craft, it seems improbable that just a
few years ago Winni had never even
used an oven.
“I was born and grew up in Hong Kong;
because of the tiny apartments and
small kitchens it was not common to
have an oven and do baking at home,”
Winni explains.
“When I was doing patisserie at TAFE,
that was the first time I used an oven to
bake – before that I had no experience.”
What she did have was a childhood
dream.
“When I was little I always wanted
to have a bakery but when I grew up
I ended up doing an accounting degree,”
she says. “I don’t hate accounting, but
I prefer to do something relaxing
like baking!”
It was a turning point for Winni, who
realised baking was both a joy and an
antidote to her medical condition.
“I think baking is the thing I do to relax,”
she says. “I have no stress at all when
I do my cooking. I don’t have to think,
I just do it.”
Winni draws her inspiration from some
of the world’s finest French patissiers,
Gregory Doyen and Amaury Guichon.
Her decision to champion gluten-
free desserts was personal as well
as commercial after Winni discovered
she had a gluten intolerance. “Amaury Guichon is trending now.
He’s 30 years old and one of the best
patisserie chefs in the world. He’s very
creative,” says Winni.
It exacerbated an auto immune
condition, causing Winni painful,
swollen joints. She has modelled her signature
dessert, The Timepiece, on Guichon’s
famed Coffee Clock, a multi-sensory
masterpiece.
Stressful conditions triggered her
symptoms, with specialists insisting
that she remove stressors from her
environment.
“That one was a bit time-consuming,
like triple the time compared to other
ones,” laughs Winni.