Latest news with #BakesnBites
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
GE2025 failed voters may apply to restore names to Registers of Electors from 30 May; Bakes n Bites owners clarify stall still open after Chee Soon Juan video: Singapore live news
Did you vote in the Singapore General Election 2025 (GE2025)? If you didn't cast your vote though you were eligible, your name would have been removed from the Registers of Electors, according to the Parliamentary Elections Act. In a statement on Thursday (29 May), the Elections Department (ELD) said that such Singaporeans can apply to restore their names to the Registers from Friday (30 May). In other news related to a Singapore political figure, an elderly couple who run 15-year-old hawker bakery Bakes n Bites have said that sales have plunged at their stall after Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan published a video on his Facebook page that stated that the bakery had closed. Dr Chee had posted a video on 25 May discussing Singapore's food and beverage industry crisis and in it, he mentioned several eateries that have closed, including Bakes n Bites. However, the stall is still open for business. Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates. Did you vote in the Singapore General Election 2025 (GE2025)? If you didn't cast your vote though you were eligible, your name would have been removed from the Registers of Electors, according to the Parliamentary Elections Act. In a statement on Thursday (29 May), the Elections Department (ELD) said that such Singaporeans can apply to restore their names to the Registers from Friday (30 May). ELD said, "We encourage non-voters to apply to restore their names to the Registers so that they can vote at the next election. Under the law, ELD will not be able to restore their names from the date the Writ for an election is issued until after Nomination Day if the election is not contested, or until after Polling Day if a poll is to be taken." Read more on how to check if you're on the Registers and how to apply to restore it. An elderly couple who run 15-year-old hawker bakery Bakes n Bites have said that sales have plunged at their stall after Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan published a video on his Facebook page that stated that the bakery had closed. Dr Chee had posted a video on 25 May discussing Singapore's food and beverage industry crisis and in it, he mentioned several eateries that have closed, including Bakes n Bites. However, the stall is still open for business. According to a report in Channel News Asia, stall owner and baker Christopher Lau, 72, wrote to Dr Chee seeking an urgent correction and for any mention of Bakes n Bites to be removed from the video. A representative from SDP replied on behalf of Dr Chee, with an apology and confirmation that the video has since been amended. "Dr Chee has removed his original video and uploaded an amended version that doesn't reference Bakes n Bites in it," the email read. The new video was uploaded on 27 May. In the caption, Dr Chee also said, "In an earlier version of this video, I had posted that Bakes & Bites had closed. This was an error. Bakes & Bites are still very much in operation. My apologies to the owners of the outlet for the error." In Tiong Bahru, the 14 Tiong Bahru HDB blocks that had ignited much debate after residents found out the buildings were to be painted in purple, will now be painted in a new brown colour scheme. This comes after a poll among residents, held from 26 to 28 May, showed that 40 per cent of Boon Tiong Road residents picked the "taupe" colour scheme. Read more about the Tiong Bahru HDB flats painting saga. An Indonesian man has been charged in a Singapore court for allegedly using over 250,000 KrisFlyer miles from other people's accounts to go on a shopping spree. Rizaldy Primanta Putra, 28, faces four charges under the Computer Misuse Act, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported. Citing from court documents, CNA reported that Rizaldy was accused of using 4,672 KrisFlyer miles on to buy $31.15 worth of items at Bugis Junction through a KrisPay wallet linked to an account that was not his. Less than two weeks later, he allegedly spent another 245,491 KrisFlyer miles — from a different stolen account — to buy goods worth $1,636.61 at Changi Airport. His bail was set at $15,000. Read more on the case of the KrisFlyer miles here. It's a busy period for Singapore's ministers as they host foreign dignitaries here for a state visit and the Shangri-La Dialogue. French President Emmanuel Macron is in town on May 29 and 30. On Friday, he delivers the keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, making him the first European leader to do so. France and Singapore will exchange agreements to co-operate in areas including defence and security, law, artificial intelligence and transport during his visit. On the first night of his visit, Macron and his wife was hosted by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his spouse to a Lau Pa Sat outing. The two couples walked through the food centre, where they were greeted by swarms of diners. They tried local food such as chee cheong fun and char kway teow. Meanwhile, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth met with Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing on Friday (30 May) on the sidelines of the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue. This is the first time the duo has met, with Chan hosting Hegseth to breakfast. Chan is Singapore's new Defence Minister, after relinquishing his education portfolio in the latest round of Cabinet changes. Hegseth is a former Fox News host and a veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He took office in January under US President Donald Trump's current administration. In a Facebook post after their meeting, Mr Chan said he showed Mr Hegseth the view of the Republic from the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark. Both men are been alumni of Fort Benning, a US Army post in Columbus, Georgia. So far this year, the number of million-dollar transactions for four-room HDB flats has surpassed that for five-room flats. This year, 244 four-room flats have fetched at least $1 million, compared to 205 five-room flats. This is the first time that such transactions for four-room flats have outnumbered those for their five-room counterparts. Why is there such a phenomenon? For one, it's the usual factor when it comes to property: location. Among the 18 HDB towns with million-dollar transactions, six have had more million-dollar four-room flats than five-room flats so far this year. The six towns are Bukit Merah, Central Area, Geylang, Kallang/Whampoa, Queenstown and Toa Payoh. Notably, all six towns are in the central region. Find out more in this deep dive into the HDB towns with such a phenomenon and examine the possible reasons behind it. In a new trial, non-life-threatening 995 calls will be referred to a medical triage helpline, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday (30 May). The nationwide trial will start on 1 June. In a statement, the ministries said that the helpline, known as NurseFirst, will provide medical advice on a caller's medical condition and guide callers to appropriate medical care options. Operated by Woodlands Health, NurseFirst began as a medical triage helpline pilot on 4 February 2022 for the management of non-life-threatening cases in the Northern district. It aimed to reduce emergency department attendances by guiding callers to appropriate alternative care sites. The pilot was supported with funding from MOH. As an expansion of the pilot, the NurseFirst helpline will widen its coverage to serve callers islandwide for six months, the ministries said. Trained nurses, with medical oversight from emergency medicine physicians, will assess callers based on their symptoms, and advise those with non-life-threatening conditions on the various appropriate alternative care options nearest to them. They added that the calls for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have been increasing rapidly over the years. In 2024, SCDF responded to 245,279 EMS calls – that's an average of 672 calls per day, a 57% increase from 2014. "With Singapore's ageing population and rising healthcare needs, EMS calls are expected to continue increasing," they said. A 51-year-old man has been arrested over a fire that broke out at Whampoa Heights on Thursday (29 May). The man, along with four others aged between 12 and 74, were taken conscious to hospital for smoke inhalation, according to SCDF and the police. The Straits Times reported that in photos of the incident, flames can be seen on the second and third floors of Block 20 Jalan Tenteram, with thick black plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
CNA
6 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Elderly hawkers' bakery sales drop after Dr Chee Soon Juan's social media post initially claims stall had shut
Bakes n Bites is a 15-year-old under-the-radar hawker bakery at Old Airport Road Food Centre in Singapore. That is, until 8days recently featured the elderly couple behind it and their delicious cakes. Hawker-baker Christopher Lau, 72, was a former manufacturing engineer who pivoted to F&B after he couldn't find another corporate job after being retrenched at age 55. He is assisted by his wife Christina Tan, 69, who comes by the stall to help after her day job in an administrative role at a construction company. Their signature items are chicken pies, curry puffs, brownies and delightfully moist chilled muffins. DR CHEE SAYS BAKES N BITES SHUTTERED IN VIDEO Dr Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) recently posted a video on his verified Instagram and Facebook page with 137,000 followers discussing Singapore's food and beverage industry crisis. Dr Chee himself owns Orange Teal Cafe at Rochester Mall. He previously had a second outlet at Marina Square that closed down in October 2024, due to rising costs. In the video, he referenced a few eateries that had allegedly closed (like Flor Patisserie). It included Bakes n Bites, with a photo of the owners (see above screenshot of the video before it was deleted) with the word "closed" prominently displayed. However, a quick Google search would have revealed that Bakes n Bites remains very much open for biz. VIDEO HAD IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON BIZ Tan shared how their usual morning crowd of customers via WhatsApp pre-orders and walk-ins dropped. 'Usually, we get more than 15 customers in the morning and even more in the afternoon. But today, only two people came. We earned less than $10 in sales within two hours of opening. Very miserable,' she told 8days. 'I already felt business dropping a couple of days ago, but never suspected anything – until today when the drop was terrible,' Tan added. 'Dr Chee's video was posted on Sunday afternoon (May 25), and I was alerted to it only the next day by a fellow F&B owner.' According to her, sales took a big hit starting May 27 (the stall was closed on May 26). 'Before that, our daily sales averaged around S$568, ranging from S$400 to S$900 [day-to-day]. But on May 27 and 28, it plunged to S$157 and S$131 [respectively], that's more than a 70 per cent drop,' she told 8days. It appears Dr Chee's post had pretty impressive reach. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chee Soon Juan (@cheesoonjuan) SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT Her husband then sent an email to Dr Chee seeking an urgent correction. Lau pointed out two key errors: Bakes n Bites is a hawker stall, not a cafe, and crucially, it remains in business. He requested that Dr Chee edit the video to remove references to his stall "to avoid any further misunderstanding amongst my customers and friends, and to prevent further harm to my business and its reputation." A representative from SDP replied on behalf of Dr Chee, with an apology and confirmation that the video has since been amended. 'Dr Chee has removed his original video and uploaded an amended version that doesn't reference Bakes n Bites in it,' the email read. Dr Chee's edited video was posted on May 27.
CNA
09-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Old Airport Road hawker, 72, and wife sell unique 'cold muffins' but skip salary due to rising costs
Tucked in the back corner of Old Airport Road Food Centre, hawker bakery Bakes n Bites spans two stall units with a no-frills setup. On one side, a waffle maker stands ready for action beside a glass display case showcasing golden-brown chicken pies and curry puffs. The other side houses the engine of this operation – a sturdy stand mixer and an oven, with a narrow refrigerated display case protecting rows of muffins and cakes like Swiss rolls. In contrast to most hawker bakeries that display goods in wide room-temperature shelves, the star – puffy muffins that stay soft and moist even when chilled — are kind of hidden in a nondescript refrigerator that takes up just a small part of the stall. In fact, we probably wouldn't have given this unassuming establishment a second glance if it weren't for this assignment. Good thing we tried their impressive bakes (more on that later). FROM ENGINEERING TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP Behind Bakes n Bites is the resilient husband-and-wife team of Christopher Lau, 72, and Christina Tan, 69, who offer quality treats at affordable prices. Despite his age and the fact he recently recovered from major pancreatic surgery, Lau mans the stall mostly solo and creates the majority of the confections himself. He discovered his baking talent after being retrenched from his engineering career aged 55. Before the career shift, Lau worked as a manufacturing engineer in companies like Seagate for many years. Meanwhile, Tan continues to work full-time in an administrative role at a construction company, coming down to help at the stall after her day job, manning the waffle station on Sundays. The stall, which opened in 2010, operates six days a week. PIVOTED TO BAKING AFTER BEING RETRENCHED AGED 55 "After getting retrenched at 55, no other company wanted to take me in at that age. I went to many interviews, but the main problem was my age, even with my experience," Lau shared. He never foresaw himself becoming a baker, as he had never baked before starting this business. The transition from engineering to hawker life came with significant financial adjustments. When asked about his previous salary, Lau reveals: "Between S$5,000 to S$6,000." He added: "We're not getting any salary from running the bakery stall now due to high overhead costs." NOT DRAWING SALARY NOW DUE TO ESCALATING RENT AND OTHER COSTS These financial challenges have only mounted in recent years. "After the pandemic, stall rental increased as it's the norm for NEA," Tan sighed, adding that utilities and delivery platform commissions have also climbed steadily. When we probed if rising rent was the primary culprit behind their lack of salary, she shook her head. "Not only rental – utilities and raw materials have increased as well. We're using premium-grade and healthier ingredients," she explained. "But we have to keep our prices low as NTUC Foodfare (which manages Old Airport Road Food Centre) has a price guideline, and this hawker centre has mostly elderly customers." The unpredictability of hawker life adds another layer of challenges. "Some days, business is okay; some days, it's poor," Tan said The couple, who have no kids, only earn an income occasionally from the bakery – "If we get bulk orders, then we will have salaries,' she noted. Tan revealed they're "looking for assistance to go online to increase sales." STILL PREFERS ENGINEERING TO BAKING Despite the financial challenges, we wondered if Lau finds his current baking business more rewarding than his previous career. "I actually prefer my previous job," he admitted candidly. "I was able to share my expertise and knowledge with colleagues and engage in teamwork, compared to this present job where I'm all by myself." With their quality products, we asked if they'd consider expanding with a second location. Tan shook her head. "Not likely again as money is not easy to earn back with the present situation. We have also utilised all our CPF funds and savings,' she explained. "SCAMMED" BY WIFE What began as a franchise opportunity from Tan's friend evolved into their own independent venture through unexpected circumstances. "I got 'scammed' by my wife," Lau joked, with affection. "Her friend convinced her this line of work was lucrative and straightforward." The couple initially agreed to operate their stall under the friend's daughter's business name, selling fruity Swiss rolls (they declined to name the brand on record). But reality proved different from what was promised. "We used their brand name, but we made my own signboard, bought our own equipment," Tan explained. Although the product supply from their friend's daughter was adequate at first, problems soon emerged. "Items that could sell well, she would say 'no stock'. Instead, she gave us the leftover stuff that she couldn't sell from her own stall." FIRST FRANCHISE BUSINESS FAILED The breaking point came when Tan began making her own curry puffs to supplement their dwindling inventory. "When the brand owner came and saw the curry puffs, she threw a fit in front of the stall for everybody to see," Tan recalled. "She complained that we were using her company name and yet selling our own things, but we were just trying to survive." As the franchise arrangement went south, the couple pivoted. "We'd better go for a baking course," Tan decided, sending her husband to Creative Culinaire Academy. "The next day after my one-day beginner's course, my wife sent me for the full 14-day crash professional course. That's when I really got 'scammed' [into staying in this job]!," Lau said, with a laugh. Lau credited his instructor for pushing him to experiment. "In the courses I just learned the basics, then experimented and practised myself," he explained. THE SECRET TO THEIR SIGNATURE "COLD MUFFINS" After learning that Lau was operating a hawker stall, his baking instructor gave him a unique challenge: Create "cold muffins" that would taste good refrigerated. Tan supported the mission by conducting extensive field research, purchasing and taste-testing muffins from bakeries across Singapore before refrigerating them to assess their quality over time. "Their flavours either weren't strong enough or the texture became dry after leaving them in the fridge," Tan discovered. "Our muffins, when eaten cold, remain moist and nice, even if you heat them or leave them out," she proudly stated. This unique quality has made their Triple Chocolate Muffin (S$3.20) their bestseller. OVERCOMING HEALTH ISSUES Despite his age and health issues, Lau was still quick on his feet, springing into action whenever the oven timer buzzes. However, the physical demands of running a bakery have become increasingly tedious on his body. 'Christopher doesn't have proper meals and has developed diabetes. The long hours of standing have also caused his legs to swell,' shared his wife. The couple has considered hiring help. "Yes, but so far they're not able to stay long due to the hot atmosphere," Tan said. Hence, they've partnered with their friend, who is a bakery factory owner. He helps produce some items like their Butter Cake (S$4.80). "But for my husband's Chewy Brownie and New York Cheesecake, when we tried to manufacture it in our friend's factory, it didn't taste the same," Tan explained. "Anyone who tries to bake it also can't top his brownies – they're truly one-of-a-kind." WIFE FACED MISCARRIAGES, CANCER AND SUSPECTED SARS Tan herself is no stranger to adversity, having survived cervical cancer, ovarian cysts, and what was suspected to be SARS during a period living in China when her husband was posted overseas as an engineer – experiences she described as "full of miracles". In her thirties, Tan faced multiple miscarriages followed by a cervical cancer diagnosis requiring surgery. Complications escalated when cysts spread to her ovaries. "One morning I was in pain and went back to the hospital," she recalled. By afternoon, she was rushed into emergency surgery where doctors discovered both ovarian cysts and her appendix had burst simultaneously. "The doctor told me if he had operated any later, I would've gone," Tan said matter-of-factly. QUALITY INGREDIENTS The couple is committed to using fresh ingredients, including fresh fruits in their products. They also offer vegan or diabetic sugar versions (pre-ordering required) of their bakes to accommodate customers' dietary preferences. FRESH ORANGE MUFFIN, S$3 This zesty treat delivers the perfect balance of tanginess and sweetness with a prominent citrus flavour. Orange zest speckles the incredibly moist crumb, which remains wonderfully soft even after refrigeration. The citrus flavour is bright without being overwhelming, creating a refreshing treat. WALNUT BANANA MUFFIN, S$3 Unlike typical banana bakes that use mashed overripe bananas, this muffin incorporates fresh banana slices that create pockets of tangy sweetness. The walnuts are well-roasted, adding a satisfying crunch and earthy tone to the moist crumb. TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MUFFIN, S$3.20 This bestseller lives up to its reputation with a rich, intense chocolate flavour. Extra moist and deeply cocoa-forward, it satisfies chocolate cravings without being cloyingly sweet. It remains lush and delicious even after days in the refrigerator. VANILLA MUFFIN, S$3 The vanilla muffin delivers a pleasant sweetness that is indulgent without being jelak (or cloyingly rich in Malay). The fragrant vanilla notes permeate the exceptionally moist crumb, creating a simple yet satisfying treat. CHEWY BROWNIE, S$4.80 This isn't your typical fudgy brownie. Lau's version features a crackly top and unique malty flavour profile. Lighter and more cake-like than most brownies, it offers a crumbly finish with a satisfying crunch. The rich cocoa notes make this an addictive treat. CHICKEN RENDANG PIE, S$3 For savoury snacks, this flaky pastry houses tender chicken and potato chunks seasoned with aromatic if mild rendang spices. The perfectly flaky crust holds together well, providing a satisfying contrast to the stew-like filling. CHICKEN PIE, S$3 This hearty option offers larger pieces of peppery chook complemented with sweet corn kernels that add a pleasant crunch and sweetness to the buttery pastry.
