A local chef is bringing a taste of Hong Kong to Melton with a Cantonese catering business she opened in the middle of the pandemic.
Carmen Wong started Hou Mei Homemade with her partner Bong Lau when she needed some stability after losing her hospitality work during lockdown.
But now, her new business has taken off and she’s keen to share her love of her homeland’s food with her Melton neighbours.
“I want to communicate our culture to people through different events and classes, that’s what I love to do,” Ms Wong said.
Ms Wong first learned to cook as a child growing up in Hong Kong, as she prepared meals for herself and her sister from the age of six while her parents were busy with work.
“After school we had to cook and prepare dinner for ourselves, and go to the market to buy some fish to make something simple,” she said.
Ms Wong came to Australia to study design and animation, but then moved back to Hong Kong to work.
Her passion for food never left, as she loved to teach herself cooking skills by reading cook books, and started her own small patisserie and cake business overseas.
“I still really loved Melbourne, so I decided to move back here,” Ms Wong said.
Four years ago, Ms Wong moved to Melton with Lau and they have been running Hou Mei Homemade together for the past two years.
Their business has been supported by the City of Melton Hot House Project, which aims to help aspiring entrepreneurs learn vital business skills and develop a business model through a five-week intensive program.
Hou Mei Homemade specialises in customized modern Cantonese-fusion catering for small group events, offering menu items like deconstructed wontons, mandarin and citrus pork and tofu puff stuffed with prawn paste.
“So I just want to deliver good quality Cantonese cuisine to people, I use some traditional cooking techniques but I also add my own creativity,” Ms Wong said.
“There’s not much Cantonese food in this area, I want to help people understand Cantonese cuisine culture.”
