This past summer, as Beaucoup Bakery approached its fifth season of culinary excellence, a profound shift occurred. Founder, owner and culinary artist Jackie Kai Ellis announced she was selling her baby and embarking on a new, distinctly literary chapter of her life as a memoirist, travel writer and (possibly) more.
Taking the helm were brother and sister duo and long-time Beaucoup employees Betty and Jacky Hung. Betty, a graphic designer turned baker, had risen up within the ranks to become head pastry chef. Jacky was the bakery’s charismatic barista, coming and going between school studies, now promoted to full-time front of house man.
Having won Best Bakery yet again in our Best of the City Dining awards, we caught up with the “sweeter” half, Betty, fresh off an inspiring visit to Japan, to talk about their tasty takeover, the baking industry and some of Beaucoup’s secrets.
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So, you were at Beaucoup and working your way up, from passionate amateur baker to head chef. What made you want to take over Beaucoup when the opportunity arose?
I’d always wanted to own my own bakery, ever since learning how to bake when I was young. When the opportunity came up, we decided it was just a very good opportunity because the bakery was very successful and we’d been working there for a long time. I just knew that we could not let go of this opportunity to take over and finish what was started [by Jackie]: to inspire people with quality and care.
And we’re really happy we did that. We were able to realize our dream.
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What’s your earliest memory of baking?
I was probably in elementary school, and I was trying to make a chocolate chip cookie from the back of a chocolate chip package. [Laughs]
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Your backstory is somewhat similar to Jackie’s. What’s your relationship with her like and was she a mentor to you?
When I worked for Jackie she gave me a lot of tips for being a professional baker, but also as a mentor in life. And now that we’ve taken over, the business will obviously have a bit more of my brother Jacky’s and my touch, but we still want to carry on what Jackie started, which is to bake the best quality pastries and continue inspiring people that way.
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What’s the secret to the Beaucoup croissant?
Time and patience, I think. Our croissant, the recipe is a three-day process. The first day we make our dough, the second day we shape it and the third day we proof and bake it. And that’s what makes our croissant uniquely flavourful and flaky. When I first learned about it, I was kind of surprised, but when I tasted it, I understood why it has to be done this way.
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In terms of menu, what have you decided to keep and what did you change up?
We kept most of what was available. It’s more like we added more to the original classic menu. So, the classic croissant, brioche, pain au chocolat and things like that, we definitely kept because that’s what customers know us for. And they’re the French classics that we decided we had to keep on the menu, because they taste amazing.
What we decided to add a little bit more of was seasonal [items]. This past Halloween we had a special brioche bun, and had a pretty good response to it. We
hope to keep testing more and adding more tasty treats for our customers for a more unique experience.
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I understand the baking industry can be extra challenging for women, especially if you have a family or a partner. Have you found that?
I definitely think it is a challenge. Luckily for me I do enjoy it, but it is a challenge, depending on the hours you are working. But at Beaucoup we try to preserve a more sensible schedule. We try to [schedule] our employees no more than eight hours a day, and give them two days off, and things like that. For me, it’s a little bit more flexible as an owner, but flexible means it can be more or less. So…. [Laughs] Yeah, it’s, like, when the bakery needs me, I’m going to be there.
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Has Vancouver’s restaurant industry staffing shortage affected you, as well? Is it hard to find quality people in the kitchen?
Yes, definitely. We had staff that left near Christmas last year and we’ve been having trouble filling the positions for several months. And that’s very difficult, because we can hardly produce enough when we’re understaffed.
People come in sometimes and are a little upset that we don’t have enough baked goods, and we totally understand. It’s, in a way, a good problem to have – that we’re popular – but I wish I could tell you how difficult it is to hire good quality staff to make all this product for everyone to taste.
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What positions do you really need people in right now?
It’s usually the night and morning bakers, because the hours are a touch more demanding. The morning starts at 3 a.m. while the night starts at 4:30 p.m. and lasts until around 1 a.m.
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Why is baking done at those crazy hours? To get everything ready for the coffee rush?
Yes, exactly! Because our kitchen is quite limited on space, we have to divide the work into three different shifts. Our staff start at 3 a.m. so you can have the delicious pastries ready at 7 a.m. when we open in the morning. And at night that’s when we prepare all our croissants and laminated pastries so we can bake them in the morning. Our kitchen operates almost 24/7 that way.
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What do you have planned for Christmas?
[Laughs] Christmas is crazy for bakers. We don’t really rest until after Christmas, when we close the bakery for a week or two and get real rest.
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Beaucoup Bakery & Café
2150 Fir St.
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Gold – Best Bakery
Silver – Best Croissant
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RECIPE:ĚýRaspberry Pink Peppercorn Financiers
Makes 10-12
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Ingredients:
ÂĽ cup Butter
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp Almond Flour
2 tbsp All purpose flour
3 large Egg whites
½ cup Icing sugar, plus more for garnish
2 tsp Lemon Zest
1 tsp Pink peppercorns, lightly crushed plus more for garnish
1 cup Fresh raspberries
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Method:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter 10-12 financier tins, or mini muffin tins and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat butter on medium heat until butter caramelizes and turns into deep brown colour, about 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool, it is best to use when it is lukewarm. If butter solidifies, gently reheat in the microwave oven to use.
Sift together the almond flour and all purpose flour into a bowl. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg whites and icing sugar together until mixture is cohesive.
Add the almond flour, flour, lemon zest, and pink peppercorns, mix with a spatula until all ingredients are incorporated. Lastly fold in the warm liquid brown butter.
Butter financier moulds or mini muffin tins with butter. Spoon batter into prepared moulds. Level off with a knife if necessary. Top with 3 raspberries each and garnish with 2-3 pink peppercorns.
Bake in preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes, rotating halfway, until tops are golden brown. Cool before unmoulding. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
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