ProfileFor pastry chef Hong Kong is afternoon tea heaven – Conrad hotel’s David Puig Zaragoza reflects on his journey from grandma’s kitchen in Barcelona
- David Puig Zaragoza, pastry chef at the Conrad Hong Kong, grew up asking his grandma questions while she cooked everything from soups to stews in the kitchen
- ‘Hong Kong is one of the best places for afternoon tea,’ the chef says, though he adds his staff ‘want to kill me’ for creating intricate pastries for guests
“I’m from Barcelona, in Spain, and I have been interested in cooking since I was five years old. My parents divorced when I was young, and I spent a lot of time with my paternal grandma. Before my mum went to work, at around 7am, she would drop me off at my grandma’s place, which was near my school.
“My grandma and I would go to the bakery to get fresh bread or croissants for breakfast. Then, while my brother and I ate breakfast, my grandma would begin preparing lunch for us, my dad, grandpa, and uncle. Afterwards, my grandpa took me to school and then he went to the market to buy the food on my grandma’s shopping list.
“When we ate breakfast, I watched her make soup or stew, so I saw her cooking for at least two hours a day. I was not a quiet kid – I was in the kitchen, opening things and asking what is this and that. I believe it was then that I started to have an interest in cooking. My older brother is passionate about eating but not cooking.
“When I was older, I started to help her cook.”
