Chef Chang gently raps on the divider between the pass and the prep kitchen – the persistent sound of a rolling pin beating against cold pastry, comes to a sudden stop, followed by a series of nervous giggles. “There are a lot of people out here, please try to keep it down…” It’s mid-afternoon and a team of young pastry chefs are rushing through the prep of the day’s desserts. A warm gleam of sunshine has filled the room at Pâte, lighting the way for curious punters to peep into the newly opened patisserie. Whilst Pâte may be the latest addition to Shanghai’s growing number of patisseries, owner and head pastry chef Ting Ting Chang is certainly no industry greenhorn. After earning her colours at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Ting Ting went on to work in France and Taiwan before becoming head pastry chef at Farine, a powerhouse in Shanghai’s local pastry scene. After three years at Farine, she decided to carve her own path by opening Pâte Patisserie in the heart of Shanghai’s Xintiandi.
张主厨轻柔地敲打了一下过道和厨房间的窗口，擀面杖持续敲打着冷面团的声音突然停止，伴随着一系紧张的笑声。“外面的很多人，请你们小声一点啦。。。” 正午时分，一群年轻的甜品师正努力着准备当天的甜点。温暖且微弱的阳光把Pâte充满，让好奇的行人想要偷瞄一下这个新开的法式甜品店。尽管Pâte是众多甜点店最新的一员，店主和甜品师张婷婷却不是初入此行。在巴黎的Le Cordon Bleu大放异彩后，成为当地知名店Farine的主甜品师前，张婷婷一直在法国和台湾工作。在Farine工作三年后，她毅然决然地决定在上海中心的新天地开设Pâte甜品店。
Ting Ting’s attention to detail is present in every corner of the patisserie, from the pops of green in the fresh-cut foliage to the carefully chosen ceramics that hold each of her freshly baked cakes and pastries. The diverse selection available at Pâte ranges from French classics such as canelés, madelines and croissants, to contemporary pastries that boast crowd-pleasing flavours such as matcha and salted caramel. And behind the glorious display cabinets lies the in-house pastry kitchen, where the Pâte team meticulously creates every delicious morsel. Everything is lovingly made on site from scratch, every day. Ting Ting recently opened the door to her kitchen, giving Neocha a glimpse into the life of a pastry chef and taking us through her typical daily routine.
张婷婷对细节的追求展现在这家法式甜点店的每个角落。从一个个新鲜植物中的葱葱绿叶，到用来装她新鲜烘焙蛋糕点心的瓷器，也是精心挑选的。Pâte可供顾客选择的有经典法式甜点，像是Canelés，Madeline’s 和牛角面包，也有饱受赞赏的现代甜点，像是抹茶和咸味焦糖。在精美的展示柜后面坐落着制作甜品的厨房，在这里Pâte的团队细致地制作着每道美味的甜点。所以的甜品每一天都是从头到尾现场制作。张婷婷打开她的厨门，给Neocha一窥她作为一名甜品师的生活。
7am~8am
My body clock automatically wakes me up at seven. My morning routine is simple: I wash up, eat, and check on my cat. One of the perks of being a pastry chef is that we begin our daily commute a little earlier than the rest of the world. I can avoid squeezing into the metro like a packed sardine during peak hour. The commute gives me time to go over processes and ideas in my head, mentally preparing for the work day ahead.
早上7点至8点
因为生理时钟自动起床，简单洗漱之后吃一顿简便的早餐，把猫猫打理好就准备出门。当然，甜点师的通勤时间比较早，不用在地铁中被挤成沙丁鱼。通勤时整理一下工作的思路和想法。
8am~10am
Mise en place dictates my morning – it’s always a race against the clock. Primary tasks include rolling out croissants and baking off crusts, puffs, and pastries. All of this prep is our foundation. Only when it’s done can we start to decorate, fill and present each of our pastries. After everything is complete, we start loading up the display cabinets, ready to welcome our first customers.
早上8点至10点
准备一系列的出餐工作，一般早上的工作都是在跟时间赛跑的。烤制塔皮，泡芙与各种小茶点，醒发羊角等待烘烤。当所有甜点的基底都准备好时就可以用各种口味的馅料装饰了。所有的工作完成之后就准备展示柜的陈列，将最新鲜的产品呈现给客人了。
10am~noon
As soon as all the pastries are out, the pastry team can take a little breather. This is a momentary lull in our day when we start cleaning down the kitchen, checking the inventory and planning the prep work for the afternoon. It’s also a time where we can relax a little and throw around some new ideas.
早上10点至中午
出餐完成之后员工们能小小放松一下然后开始做一次清洁整理活动。最后检查所有的馅料，原料是否足够，与确认下午的准备工作内容或是彼此交换一些新的想法。
noon~1pm
Lunch break. We’ll usually venture on outside to grab something light and close by to eat. I like to make the most out of this spare hour to enjoy some fresh air and a leisurely walk.
中午至下午1点
这是午餐休息时间，通常大家会选择到附近吃点轻食，散散步悠闲的渡过这一小时时光。
1pm~5pm
The bulk of our prep work happens in the afternoon. Each dessert demands at least five different processes; the steps are usually complex, requiring us to work cleanly and methodically. Between kneading dough and shaping pastry shells, we also juggle the making of fruit preserves, fillings and a variety of decorations. We always keep one eye on the display cabinet, ready to replenish any desserts that have sold out throughout the day.
下午1点至5点
下午多半是做许许多多的准备工作。每一道甜点都需要经过至少5个不同步骤组成，因为甜点准备也是相当复杂的工作。混合各种面团，把塔皮捏制成形，处理各种的水果加工，制作各种馅料与装饰的配件。另外，随时观察补充门店甜品的短缺也是工作内容之一。
5pm onwards
A long day’s work draws to a close and it is finally time to wander home, relax and feed yourself a well-deserved meal. Sometimes, I’ll even head out with a selection of the day’s pastries in hand, ready to share them with a few lucky friends.
下午5点以后
结束一整天的工作回到家好好放松，给自己做一顿晚餐。当然有时候也会外带一些自己制作的甜点与好友分享。
Address:
462 Hefei Road (Soho Fuxing Plaza Room #E107)
Huangpu District, Shanghai
People’s Republic of China
Hours:
Monday~Thursday, 9am~9pm
Friday~Sunday, 10am~10pm
Contributor & Photographer: Whitney Ng
