The family duo behind a new patisserie specialising in choux pastry is hoping to win the hearts of sweet-toothed Glaswegians. Choux and Brew opened in Shawlands in December 2022 after cousins Wendy Lo and Michael Law decided to leave their former jobs and team up for their new venture.
“I think people in the Southside of Glasgow appreciate individuality and quality – they want more on offer than just a brownie or a traybake now,” Wendy, 29, comments.
Pastry chef Wendy had always envisioned opening her own bakery one day, though the opportunity came sooner than anticipated.
Originally from Glasgow’s East End, Wendy’s career has seen her train with Scottish MasterChef winner Gary Maclean. She began perfecting her pastry skills working for leading industry names, including Martin Wishart, and at high-end hotels The Balmoral and Dakota Glasgow.
She then sought fresh opportunity to further her career by moving to London to join the esteemed pastry team at the Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan in Mayfair.
After three years in London the Covid-19 pandemic triggered a difficult time for Wendy.
“When Covid hit we were put on furlough, I then moved back to Glasgow because my dad fell badly ill with Covid,” she explains. “After that I didn’t want to leave his side.”
The seed was planted for the launch of Choux and Brew. Opening the business with her cousin Michael, who had a background in accountancy and a strong ambition to have his own business, became a no brainer for the pair.
“We work well together,” Wendy says. “He’s great at engaging customers and remembering faces, whereas I’m usually in the kitchen focusing on producing as much fresh produce as possible. Because we’re cousins there’s a lot of things we don’t have to even vocalise, we just already know.”
At Choux and Brew you will find a selection of pastries and sandwiches that Wendy creates fresh on-site each morning.
“I usually come in for about 6.30am and I prep all my morning pastries,” says Wendy. “I’ll make my almond croissants, my banana pain au chocolats – I put them out first before I start on my choux pastry and fill them with fresh ingredients. We don’t keep the choux pasty, it has to be enjoyed fresh on the day it’s made.”
The pair change the menu every six-weeks to embrace more seasonal ingredients. The winter/ spring collection is currently running and includes apple streusel and Opera cake.
“We’ll always offer the choux pastry, it will just be filled differently,” Wendy adds. “And we’ll always have our Paris–Brest, a tart, croissants, and three options for freshly baked ciabatta sandwiches. Since we opened, it has been a wee bit up and down, but I think we’ve been quite lucky in the way that people are catching on quickly to us in the community and especially via social media.
“Seeing people taste and appreciate your food…and the response and feedback is what makes the experience of running your own business completely worth it.”
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