The Best of You: Interview with Ng Li Tying of The Spatula & the Pen

Started in 2014, The Best of You is a project that aims to reach out to people from all walks of life and urge them in taking the time to reflect on their achievements and appreciate the people who helped to get them where they are today. The stories shared by those involved tug lightly on the heart-strings and tell tales of love, empowerment, courage and more.

24 year-old Ng Li Tying of The Spatula and the Pen is one of the creative individuals that has contributed the story of her unique baking venture to the movement. We caught up with her and asked her how she got started with the project, and how she feels she has come thus far.

MARIE FRANCE ASIA: HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE BEST OF YOU PROJECT?

Ng Li Tying: A friend of mine mentioned The Best of You movement during a casual conversation and said I should have a look at it. I did, and really liked what the movement stood for and championed, and I thought to share the story behind what I do.

I tell stories through baking cakes and desserts; each creation is conceptualized based on real-life stories that people share with me. Some about love, some about sacrifice, some about heartbreak and life struggles… but all of them describe so acutely the human condition and the real issues, or small joys, which we encounter in our daily life.

And what most people, or even I at times, fail to realize and appreciate is that through baking these cakes and reading these stories, I am constantly reminded of what it means to be human, to be happy, to be grateful, to be humble, and essentially to be a better person.

So while it might seem that I’m making a difference to others when I create personalized cakes for them, they are also leaving the same impact on me when they open up and share their heartfelt feelings, emotions and journeys with me. Just as how I can almost feel and see their smile and joy when penning their messages to me, I feel the same happiness (or sadness) when reading their stories.

MFA: HOW DID THE IDEA BEHIND THE SPATULA & THE PEN COME ABOUT? WERE YOU TRIGGERED BY A CERTAIN EVENT?

NLT: The Spatula & the Pen came about pretty organically. I enjoyed baking, and I loved reading stories. On top of that, I’ve always been obsessed with experimenting with new flavours and desserts, and back when I was only just baking for close friends of mine, I thought that they deserved nothing less than a special cake for their special occasions (and not just your run-of-the-mill, store-bought cakes).

With every cake I baked, I wrote about the person the cake was for and described how the cake was conceptualized based on his/her personality, preferences, quirks, etc. I used to post this on my Facebook page frequently, and people seemed to enjoy reading these stories. These gathered quite a fair bit of interest, and I’d gotten feedback that by baking these personalized cakes, I was able to (and thankfully still am) make a difference to others.

Hence, the pen – for writing stories – and the spatula – for baking – goes hand in hand.

MFA: WHAT’S THE MOST MEMORABLE STORY YOU’VE RECEIVED?

NLT: I get this question a lot, and to be honest, I always feel that all stories are equally beautiful and real. Some people have written to me, apologizing for their “un-inspirational” stories, but I always tell them that there is no such thing as a bad, boring or un-inspiring story. They are all real, penned by people who have taken time out to sit down and share their experiences and journeys, and they should all be regarded as the same.

Every cake that I’ve made is different, and because I’ve baked many many different cakes at this stage, it’s really hard to say which is the most memorable story or cake. But just to share a few that really tugged at my heartstrings.

There was a girl who wrote to me, “I hope you can bake my life story”. She had been through a rough period in her life in the recent years, with the passing of her mother and other family issues. She has been trying to cope with the demands of school as well, and was grateful for her boyfriend who has been her pillar of support throughout these tough times. She had asked for a cake for his birthday, to say thank you, and I was really moved by her story.

This lady wrote to ask for a customized savoury cake for a friend of hers. It turns out that this friend of hers has not had a birthday cake in years, and their group of friends were not able to celebrate her birthday with a cake this whole time, because of her aversion to cakes and sweet stuff. I ended up creating a savoury cake with her favourite food – a chiffon cake with gouda cheese and ham, otah, grilled chicken wings and garlic cream cheese. The pictures they sent me of the party were amazing. They were really thrilled to have cake and they loved it!

A group of friends recently celebrated one of their friends’ birthday. They were all close friends, and have been so for a while, but as the birthday girl’s birthday falls in the exam period every year, they’ve not been able to celebrate her birthday proper. This year marks the last year they get to celebrate her birthday before she leaves for her studies abroad, and they wanted to get her a special cake. It was mentioned that the birthday girl has been keen to try one of my cakes, so her friends reached out to me with a story about the birthday girl (and a photo of her as well, so adorable!). What I was told was that the birthday girl was so shocked by the birthday surprise that she cried. Plus I got to write on her birthday card too, and I’m thankful for the chance to have baked for her.

A girl wrote to me to ask for a birthday cake for her sister, who is a baker herself. For years, her family has been celebrating her sister’s birthday with store-bought cakes, and she was hoping that I could bake her something different this year. To bake for another baker is challenging, somewhat daunting, but also very heartwarming; as a baker, you spend so much time baking for others and trying to make their special occasions something to remember by, but you probably hardly have the same for yourself. I did my best to make it memorable for her.

Also baked for a baker, but this time it was requested by her fiancé. This guy shares the same birthday as his fiancée, and this year on their birthdays, they were getting married as well. A triple occasion to celebrate, and I was just honoured to be invited to bake for her birthday (his as well). I’d designed a two-tiered cake since it was going to be celebrated during their wedding solemnization too, and I’d switched things up with a stacked macaron cake and crepe cake for something more unique and hopefully exciting for a fellow baker.

MFA: WHAT’S THE MOST COMPLEX CAKE YOU’VE BAKED FOR A CUSTOMER?

NLT: I think that would probably have to be the whimsical cake. We designed the cake to resemble a bird cage and a whimsical forest, so it took us a while to design and construct the wire structure. It had to be easily lifted, and it had to enhance the look of the cake. A lot of effort was put into the small details: the birds were hand-sewn, the flowers tied and secured individually, the swing (or mini raft) had to be secured and made stable, etc. But that was pretty memorable!

MFA: HAS ANY CUSTOMER GIVEN YOU FEEDBACK ON HOW YOUR CREATIONS IMPACTED THEIR LIVES?

NLT: Yes! And that is really the best part of what I do. To be honest it’s not always 100% smooth-sailing; there are misses too sometimes (e.g. the flavour combination might be too adventurous for the customer, etc.). Yet, more often than not, it is always rewarding to know that they enjoyed the cakes, and that they were created specially for them. It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime memory or experience. That makes it special, for me and them I suppose.

MFA: HAVE ANY OF YOUR CUSTOMERS TURNED INTO FRIENDS?

NLT: TSP began with baking for friends. Over time, I began baking for friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends. We are all still connected in some way. There are some people with whom I’m still in contact. We were strangers, got acquainted through the cakes and desserts, and though we aren’t close friends now, I still remember them and they do come back sometimes for more bakes and sweet treats. Sometimes they may say “do you remember me…?” and I’m like “yes, I do!” because I remember the story they shared.

There are people too who have left me messages and emails to share their stories without requesting for a cake. It’s really great, to be able to reach out to strangers this way and get to encourage one another even though we’ve not met. There’s a girl who has left anonymous messages twice; she shared about the troubles she’s been through but wanted to encourage me as well. Each time, she left an anonymous email address that doesn’t work, so I can’t get in touch with her directly, but she follows my journeys and adventures on Instagram. The first time she wrote to me, I wrote a post on Instagram to try and reach out to her. The second time she did, she said she wasn’t sure if I remembered her, but she was back to update me with her life stories, and I felt so happy reading her message (she’s doing better now!). Then I posted on Instagram a second time to try and let her know that I got her message, whoever she was. It might sound a little odd, but I really treasure these conversations.

I’m sure I’ll get to cross paths again with whomever I’ve baked cakes for. It’s nice to have known a little better about them through their stories, and vice versa, and I really don’t think it’s the kind of thing you easily forget. I don’t forget how their stories made me feel.

MFA: WHY DO YOU THINK FOOD IS SUCH AN EASY MEDIUM FOR PEOPLE TO BOND OVER?

NLT: Very very tough question, haha! Most people – if not everyone – loves food, right? It’s like a staple. A need. Something that we can’t do without in our lives. And when you share this with people whom you care about, it’s probably like sharing a bit about yourself.

It could be conversations over a meal together – that’s some quality time spent. It could be hunting down new food places together – that’s a hobby that we could share because of similar preferences for food. It’s how we say “thank you”, “I love you”, “you’re special to me”; we often gift food during special occasions or festivals, don’t we? We celebrate occasions with food as well.

The role food plays in our lives has probably got strong cultural roots. It just brings people together, somehow. Pretty magical huh?

The Best of You Finale Exhibition will be held from 13 to 18 October 2015 at Marina Square Central Atrium, and will showcase stories and artwork from the public as well as local and international artists and personalities.

Nur Syazana H.

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