Millet desserts bring sweet taste of success

"When I was a kid, my mom often brought me to the city center and I was always drawn by hotel staff making desserts, staring at them through the floor-to-ceiling glass window. I still remember the scene where a baker sprinkled coconut flakes all over a cake," she said.

While relishing every dessert that she could get her hands on, making desserts by herself struck Liu as an intimidating task that only trained professionals were capable of.

She finished her bachelor's degree in teaching Chinese as a foreign language at a university in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, and went to the United States for further study.

"At that time, I saw my cousin baking a cake from a prepackaged powder mix and I thought to myself maybe I could bake as well," she said.

Liu dived into courses and workshops in the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the famous Lenotre Culinary Arts School in Paris, France. She eventually decided to drop out of school to accumulate experience in running bakeries across China.

In late 2020, she returned to Miyun and began searching for a place to start her own shop.

"A friend of mine suggested I visit Jinpoluo for inspiration," she said. "I was first impressed by the quality of the cherries grown locally and the number of tourists flocking here during the summer to pick fruit," said Liu.

"Then I heard that the village also produces millet, pumpkins, chestnuts and walnuts, and it occurred to me that all of these ingredients can be used to make desserts."

Another attraction for Liu, she said, is that the village has a cooperative that pools resources from all farmers and villagers and is organic.