French kiss

[Photo provided to China Daily]

The event coincides with new bakery introductions, which this year include the sacristain, which is an almond puff-pastry cookie, and the napoleon, a traditional French favorite made with layered puff pastry and cream.

Much has been said about Chinese taste for sweets, or the lack of it. Huang says Wedome's research team never changes the traditional ingredients when developing a new recipe, but they cut the amounts of sugar and butter a little.

He laughs when asked about the company's French-style mooncakes.

"It's a little bit of magic, really－there are no mooncakes in France," he says. But there's more to it than simply filling a mooncake with French ingredients like chocolate, blackberry and cheese. "The technique is important, too: We make the mooncake in a truly French way, with a crispy cookie shell."

Huang is energized as he describes mooncake-making or his fascination with the French yeast Lesaffre as a bakery apprentice years ago. I ask him if he ever dons an apron himself these days, to train new bakers or test a new pastry recipe.

He quickly shakes his head. He's busy with administrative duties, he says, adding that his role in the company is not in the kitchen.

But he still enjoys sinking his fingers into pastry dough at home.

"I do it to relax," he says, smiling. "Deep in my heart, I am still a guy who loves to make bread."