[Life] Graduated from medical school, became a pastry chef!

Author: JEFFI CHAO HUI WU

Time: 2025-7-14 Monday, 1:16 PM

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[Life] Graduated from medical school, became a pastry chef!

My daughter has been a meticulous and persistent child since she was little. I still remember those years in middle school when our kitchen almost became her "little laboratory." Whenever she had free time, she would roll up her sleeves and start making cakes, whether it was chiffon or cheesecake. Even if she messed up, she wouldn't get discouraged; instead, she became more determined. I often joked with her, "You're not just making cakes; you're conducting research!" She would laugh and reply, "I really love making desserts. I want to be a pastry chef in the future!" I thought it was just a small hobby for a middle school student, but I didn't expect that this statement, "I want to be a pastry chef," would stick with her for over a decade, and step by step, she truly made it to where she is today.

She has told me more than once that she doesn't want to take the ordinary college path, but only wants to attend West Point. I was silent for a long time. As Chinese parents, of course, I hope my child can have a college diploma and a stable and respectable path. We come from an era that emphasizes "education changes destiny," and we have an instinctive reverence for education. In our view, no matter how talented a child is, they cannot lack the "endorsement" of that diploma. But my daughter is a person with her own opinions and direction, and it is not easy to change her mind. So we made a "deal"—I told her, "You can follow your own path, but the premise is that you must first complete your college education and at least obtain a master's degree. This way, no matter what you do in the future, you will have a solid foundation." She thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, Mom. I will fulfill your wish, but afterwards, I want to do what I love."

And so, she stepped into the world of medical science. While others traveled or worked during their university breaks, she always stayed in the kitchen, continuing to experiment with her dessert recipes. Days were filled with classes in anatomy and pathology, while nights were spent in the realm of cake layers, buttercream, and macarons. Friends teased her, saying, "You have two heads, memorizing medical terminology on one side and baking cakes on the other." She would smile and say, "Medicine is knowledge, desserts are life." Occasionally, she would tell me about her desire to go to France to study pastry, and I knew she had never given up on that dream.

Finally, she graduated from college, standing on the graduation stage in her cap and gown, her face unable to hide her excitement. After taking photos, she walked over and hugged me tightly, saying, "Mom, I did it. I completed the college education you wanted me to finish. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to begin my pastry life!" At that moment, I felt a mix of emotions. I knew she was neither unfilial nor rebellious; she was truly living her own life seriously.

So, she began her formal journey as a pastry chef. We all know that becoming a true pastry chef is not as simple as reading a few cookbooks. She started from scratch, working in restaurants and apprenticing at dessert shops, juggling full-time work and studies, leaving home at five in the morning, and sometimes rushing to the central kitchen at one in the morning, then going to class in the afternoon. This "sleep god," who used to throw tantrums if she didn’t get ten hours of sleep a week, actually persevered. I remember the first time she came back after leaving at one in the morning; she could barely stand, but the next morning she still got up to go for her internship. I asked her, "Aren't you tired?" She replied while drinking water, "If you love it, you won't be tired!" This became her catchphrase.

Day after day, year after year, she really made it through. Three years later, she finally obtained her professional pastry chef certification. That day, she sent a photo, holding the certificate in her hand, her face beaming with pride and happiness. As I looked at that photo, my eyes involuntarily became moist. It turns out that persevering in one's dreams truly pays off.

What surprised me even more was that she was not satisfied with just a certificate, but continued to refine her skills. She worked her way through several high-end restaurants and well-known dessert chains in Sydney, growing step by step from a dessert assistant to a chef assistant. After returning home, she kept experimenting with new recipes and improving her presentation techniques, often spending weekends in the kitchen, creating exquisite desserts that were almost too beautiful to eat. Later, she even opened her own online cake shop, handling everything from taking orders to packaging herself, building a stable customer base through word of mouth, and even becoming a somewhat well-known pastry chef. In WeChat groups and on social media, I often see others sharing pictures of the cakes she made, with captions full of “Who made this? It’s so beautiful” and “I want to order this master’s cake for my daughter’s wedding.”

Speaking of this, I often tell my friends that my daughter is truly the happiest person in the world. She is doing what she loves, gaining recognition through her skills, and earning a considerable salary. More importantly, she is happy every day. I used to think that the order of life must be: study hard, find a good job, earn more money, and then slowly search for ideals. But my daughter has shown me through her actions that sometimes it can be the other way around—first find what you love, then use that passion to support yourself, and gradually move towards excellence.

I am well aware that this path is not easy for any child, especially in a traditional family background like ours. Growing up with the education that "stability outweighs everything," suddenly allowing a child to step off the track and pursue their dreams requires courage. Fortunately, my husband and I have never been an obstacle to her dreams. We only asked her to have a basic educational guarantee, and then let her fly. This choice is not common in many Chinese families, but looking back now, it is one of the best decisions we made.

Nowadays, every time I sit down in front of the cake she made, sipping a cup of tea and taking a bite of the dessert she crafted with her own hands, I think of that middle school student busy in the kitchen. She never left her dreams; she simply spent ten years turning them into reality. A child's life should not be a replica of our own, but rather a journey to find their own light and then walk steadfastly forward. And for us parents, the greatest happiness is not having our children obey us, but seeing them shine brightly because of their passions.

Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696862