My Story

Young Cédrine "Patience" dressed as a pastry chef with rolling pin, chef hat and apron

“Because at the end of the day, a cake is never just a cake — it’s the moment around it.”

Bonjour, I’m Cédrine — most people in Hong Kong call me “Patience.”
Not just a nickname: it’s the quality people kept seeing in me… which, let’s be honest, is not always true.

Not just a nickname: it’s the quality people kept seeing in me… which, let’s be honest, is not always true.

I was born in Lyon, raised in the South of France (Marseille–Cannes–Nice), and I’ve always loved two things: sharing and precision. I actually come from a scientific background — the kind that loves scales, grams and protocols. Pastry is exactly that: if you skip a step, it fails. I adore that little edge where rigor meets poetry.

At home, my mother cooked generous dishes for big family tables. Pastry wasn’t her thing (“too precise”), so I naturally occupied the empty space: babysitting to earn a few francs and keeping kids happy by baking cookies, learning from cookbooks, TV shows and chefs (hello Robuchon on Bon appétit bien sûr). I’m autodidacte, with a stubborn streak: I read, test, fail, test again — until the taste matches the memory.

From France to Hong Kong

I moved to Hong Kong in 2018 because to me it felt like the New York of Asia — energy, opportunity, the world next door. I wasn’t planning to open a pastry business. I just missed simple things: a terrace after lunch, a good coffee, and classic French desserts that truly taste of something.

Friends tried my “simple” home desserts and said the most dangerous sentence in the world: “Why don’t you start a business?” In May 2020, in the middle of a not-so-joyful time for the city, I launched Les Délices de Patience. People needed comfort; orders grew; trust followed. I arrived at the right moment — with butter.

What I believe (and bake)

I bring back the Sunday classics we grew up with: Paris-Brest, mille-feuille (puff pastry rolled by hand), Saint-Honoré, Fraisier, tarte au citron, madeleines, cannelés, macarons… fresh, textured, unapologetically French.

My rules:

Simplicity & authenticity. Honest flavours, real ingredients, proper technique.
Freshness. I bake to order (hence crisp chouquettes today, not chewy ones from two days ago).
Care. “Sharing is caring” is not a slogan — it’s the intention I put into every step.
Personalization. Allergies, pregnancy-safe versions, free-from, low-sugar options, little keepsake toppers instead of heavy sugar paste for kids’ cakes.
Advice first. If a flavour combo won’t work, I’ll say it. (Yes, tequila macarons were requested. Yes, they worked — paired with a tequila cocktail party.)

And yes, I also cook savory for catering: pains surprises I bake from scratch, quiches, mini croque-monsieur, and all the little bites we love with a good glass of wine.

“Sharing is caring — the intention you put in has taste.”

Signature pieces (and the best compliment I get)

My signature is the croquembouche / pièce montée — caramel-glazed choux stacked into a golden tower on nougatine. We also craft wedding cakes and bespoke showstoppers for corporate and private events. Over time, more and more local clients discovered us through French colleagues and family gatherings.

The compliment that floors me every time: “This tastes like home.” Some even call us “the best cakes in HK.” I don’t claim it — I bake for it.

Learning by failing forward

Many of my creations exist because a client whispered a childhood memory. I research, test, fail, test again. Logistics in Hong Kong can be… sporty (I’m still negotiating with the climate about bûches glacées and July deliveries). Ovens have a sense of drama: they sometimes threaten to die the night before a wedding. That’s when “Patience” becomes crisis management.

“Autodidacte with a scientific brain: grams, protocols… and butter.”

Workshops & corporate

Beyond orders, I host team workshops — we’ve whipped choux with teams like Hermès Hong Kong. Food is a universal language: it gathers, teaches, and lets everyone go home a little prouder.

What’s next (and why I’m raising funds)

For the past years I did everything solo from a shared kitchen: baking, logistics, Instagram, customer care, purchasing, planning, inventory. I’ve hit the ceiling of what one person can do.

The next step is obvious:

My own kitchen — a real lab to create more freely and host pastry workshops.
Equip & scale to meet demand while protecting quality.
Hire and train my first full-time teammate from scratch, passing on a craft, not a template.
Grow catering, and one day open intimate points of sale in Hong Kong… then across Asia. (La Cave de Patience, the café-bar-à-vin idea, is never far.)

If you love the idea of backing true artisanal food with impact, let’s talk.

« Patience et longueur de temps font plus que force ni que rage. » — La Fontaine

Quick Facts

Home Kong since 2018
Launched: May 2020
Signature: Croquembouche / pièce montée
Also: Wedding cakes, bespoke showstoppers, corporate & private catering (sweet and savory)
Fan-favorites: Paris-Brest, Fraisier, mille-feuille rolled by hand
Workshops: Team building (e.g., Hermès Hong Kong)
Values: Tradition, precision, freshness, personalization
Fun order: Tequila macarons to match a cocktail menu