The founder's words - From Generation to Generation
“Lao Ma Zi” was inspired by my grandma, who started selling traditional pastries by the street back in 1961. Together with my mum, who was only 12-year-old then, they made pastries tirelessly through day and night to raise a family of more than 10. Taking over the trade as the 2nd generation, my mum similarly raised our family of four siblings by selling traditional pastries.
In the early days, we would rush home after school to help out with the making of traditional pastries. This was our way of life since young and soon enough, it developed into a deep-rooted passion.
In 2010, my mum suffered a stroke and with all my siblings working in Singapore, I made the decision to return to our hometown to take care of her. This marked the start of my journey in the pastry-making world as I assumed the role of being the 3rd generation in living the “Lao Ma Zi Traditional Pastry” legacy.
As I stepped into the culinary world with my dreams and aspiration, I recognised the trend of traditional pastries and their recipes being lost with time. In 2015, I decided to join the social media bandwagon and launched the “Lao Ma Zi” page on Facebook, with the goal of uniting all like-minded individuals to come together as a community to learn, share and interact their culinary skills and experiences. Together, we created “Lao Ma Zi”, sending a message to everyone out there that “Lao Ma Zi” (or mum when translated into English) is not just a stereotype figure that looks after kids and does household chores at home. “Lao Ma Zi” can also embrace the Chinese culture and heritage by sharing one’s lifelong culinary skills and knowledge to benefit the broader community.
The success rate of finding the right recipe that works is what matters most as the search for the right ingredients often lead one to wasting a lot of time and you do not get the solutions to your problems in the first instance.
In 2017, after more than two years of research, sharing and social interaction with a growing base of “Lao Ma Zi” believers, we have been encouraged by the community to publish the best recipes for collection. In August that year, we listened to our fans and published our very first recipe book. It suits the convenience of many of our senior members who may not be familiar with searching for recipes online but more importantly, trusted recipes that have been tried and tested to work.
Only recipes that are curated by “Lao Ma Zi’s” food review committee can be regarded as reliable and will be added into “Lao Ma Zi - From Generation to Generation” recipe book accordingly.
At “Lao Ma Zi”, we believe in taking from the society and giving back. While we strive to preserve our heritage and legacy, we want to innovate, break out of traditional norms and scale greater heights. We will continue to commit to making this happen, living life with no regrets.
Lastly, we wish to express our most sincere gratitude and appreciation to all mums for their selfless contributions, always passing on the best - From Generation to Generation.
Lao Ma Zi – From Generation to Generation is inspired by third generation legacy holder, Wong See Kay. With a humble origin that dates back to 1961, her grandmother and mother were breadwinners in the family, making ends meet by selling traditional pastries on the streets Mambang Diawan, Kampar, Perak in Malaysia.
2010 saw the birth of Lao Ma Zi Traditional Pastry. Specialising in the research and development of traditional pastries, there is a progressive moment towards creating new inventions. The goal is to unite all culinary masters, preserve the disappearing traditional delicacies while innovating new products always. Together, let us embrace and make our Chinese heritage proud, living a legacy that goes From Generation to Generation. (Wong See Kay)
