Hello there, Honey
An ex-lawyer turned (super successful) baker, Vanessa Kenchington means business when it comes to cupcakes. As a pioneer of the cupcake wave in Singapore with Plain Vanilla Bakery, this lady has proven her chops and gained a (very large) loyal following, but it’s her dedication to her craft that hooked us – she wakes at 5am to bake every. single. day.
We got the chance to poke around her Tiong Bahru apartment, so naturally we threw open her closet doors, hounded her for her best vintage finds (she’s an aficionado, this one!), and almost managed to coax her into spilling trade secrets (not quite, but she does dish a super simple, no-fail dessert tip). Read on for the scoop!
You were a lawyer before you started Plain Vanilla. What prompted that change?
A couple of reasons, but the main impetus had less to do with the working hours and more to do with the long-term prospect of what my life in twenty years would be like. I’m a proper type-A personality – obsessive, organised, driven and, as a result, constantly working – so I thrived on the adrenaline of closing deals and managed the long hours.
Then I met my husband, and I started thinking a little differently about my life. I’ve worked on deals in the office for four-days straight without returning home and gone into work with a 40-degree fever – not a big deal for a 20-plus-year old, but not so ideal if you have a husband and children who would like to spend time with you. I didn’t want to build my career in a profession where my life would be a constant tug-of-war between family and work obligations – so I moved on and started my own business! Funny that, because the tug-of-war currently continues!
Tell us about your home. When did you first move in and what do you love about it?
We moved in earlier this year, in March. We used to live on Holland Road and we thought nothing could beat the convenience of Holland Village – so the move here was work-driven and somewhat reluctant. We saw a few units in the neighbourhood but we knew we struck gold with this one and jumped on it instantly. It’s perfect for four – two of us and our two cats – spacious without being too big. We also just love living in Tiong Bahru – it has all the perks of living in the city but without the bustle and city angst.
We hear you wake at 5am on weekdays and 4am on weekends. RESPECT! What keeps you going?
The thought of failing. As an employer, a wife, a daughter. When the business first launched, I feared being perceived as a failure – so I worked hard to grow the business, to make sure everything was always perfect no matter the expense. Now I care a little less about what people think and more about what I think I should be doing when wearing each of the hats I do.
When you have a team of people – bright, young, energetic people – who turn up ready for work and are looking to you for direction, you have to make sure you have the answers. Waking up early also means I get my kitchen duties out of the way earlier – which means more time for the husband and family!
We spy quite the vintage collection! What do you love about vintage clothing and jewellery?
Exclusivity! I never have to worry about someone else turning up in the same frock as me. The fabrics are different too, I find, and the prints, always crazy. What you wear is an expression of who you are and there is an outrageous, kooky part of me that loves dressing in styles that aren’t conventional or high-street. It’s also a nice challenge thinking about how to make a seemingly outdated piece current.
Having said that, these days I’m often in what I like to call “practical garb” – tanks, jeans, sneakers; it’s going to get covered in frosting anyway!
Any tips on scoring great deals on vintage fashion? Where do you like to shop?
Most of my vintage collection is amassed from my days living in London – my favourite store is Rokit in Covent Garden. The Old Spitalfields Market is also a real winner for scarves, dresses, and other accessories. For online shopping options, Nasty Girl is good (although often I find them a little pricey) and I have been surprised more than once by eBay. Locally, I sometimes pop into Deja Vu Vintage or one of the weekend flea markets – Public Garden sometimes sees a few vintage vendors that are pretty authentic!
How do you come up with new flavours in the kitchen? How long does it take for a flavour to go from ingenious idea to something on the shelves?
When planning the opening menu, I had a list of about thirty flavours that I toyed with. Once we nailed the ten daily flavours, it was a question of slowly rolling out the flavours that didn’t make it to the list of mainstays.
Nowadays I have a little more time to experiment so occasionally I try new things in the kitchen. Sometimes the flavour pairing is spurred on by something I’ve seen or smelled or tasted elsewhere, or a conversation I had with a customer or a friend. There are accidents too – leftover frosting slapped on top of spare cupcakes on a busy afternoon in-store. It usually takes me one or two tries to get a new idea right, then it’s a matter of picking the right flavours for the counter – often these are the ones I want to eat myself!
We love what you’ve done at the Tiong Bahru store – it’s not just a bakery but a place that is also a small community hub. What’s the next step?
To launch the space – officially! We have actually been in the neighbourhood since February this year, but we wanted to take the time to do the space justice so we moved our retail operations out to the outdoor verandah-type area and blocked off the indoor area to focus on that.
After the launch in September, we will take our operations back indoors and use the outdoor space for community events – movie screenings, a monthly fresh flower market, photo exhibitions, retail pop-ups. We’re expanding the menu to include a few new items and some old favourites – more tarts, tea cakes, cookies.
We’re also unveiling a retail range of home, grocer, and lifestyle products, something we have been working on for months and are thrilled about! We’ll be carrying a selection of our favourite wines, honey from New Zealand, my favourite Australian olive oil, jams made in-house (yes, the same ones from last Christmas!), our perennially popular shortbread and loose-leaf teas, and for the home range, hand made knives from Spain, Argentinian-made wooden cake stands, canning jars, gorgeous sustainably made tea towels and more. I really wanted the collection to reflect my belief in the value of small batch production and sustainable manufacturing and to showcase other owner-operated businesses that care deeply about the work they do.
What are some of your guiding values in life and with PV Bakery? Any great tips to share?
Be honest, show humility, and work really, really hard. I find myself having to make decisions nowadays about how to conduct myself or how to run the business, and applying these values help with finding the right answers.
When we first opened, lots of folks – customers, family, friends – said we should charge more because others were and we could get away with it. But I held out because I believe that something as simple as cake shouldn’t break the bank – good things should be shared by being accessible on price-point. So to make up for the additional dollars that we could be making, I worked extra hard and scrimped on hiring help for the first six months. I was exhausted but I didn’t have to compromise on the things that mattered to me.
Now that we have a team behind me, the challenges are a little different. I’ve always known that I would run the bakery as an owner-operated enterprise; I never wanted to be the person sitting alone at the top, I wanted to be deep in the trenches with my girls, sleeves rolled and digging, together. Part of that responsibility also extends to caring for the team, making sure people are happy, motivated, and well. I would say that is probably my second biggest priority, after profitability. Putting people first is crucial – the bakery is the people that make it up.
Ok, last one. We’re not asking for you to spill on trade secrets, but could you give us some kind of winning dessert tip that everyone could do with?
Always have Vanilla ice cream in the freezer. If in doubt, spoon over dessert and serve.
Thanks for letting us in, Vanessa!
All images taken by the talented Suasti Lye of Suasti Lye Photography & Design.