With her patisserie, Petite Amanda, opening this month in Hong Kong's IFC, model Amanda Strang is flat out, smoothing out every detail before she's ready to introduce Hong Kong to her delicious take on all things pastry.
The Eurasian beauty, who was born in Paris and has lived in Taiwan, India and the United States, has modelled for high-profile clients from jewellers De Beers to skincare brand SK-II.
But now she has quit the modelling industry to concentrate on her real passion: baking.
'My parents are both foodies and when I was growing up I just thought that's the way life is,' Strang says. 'I'm lucky that I'm able to turn my hobby into a profession.'
The move into pastry was prompted after internships at several top pastry kitchens in Paris including Caprice, and her career change has been attentively watched over by The Peninsula Hong Kong's executive pastry chef, Ludovic Douteau. 'He's my mentor, the person who made me realise I wanted to get into the industry and pushed me to stay longer in Paris.'
Having grown up in Taipei, Strang has a good handle on the city, and while she says its upscale fashion choices are similar to those you find in Hong Kong, she enjoys shopping in the quirky boutiques and markets Taipei has to offer.
