Latest news with #PatrickLam
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
So why do Cambodians make such great pies?
The best pies in New Zealand were crowned at 2025 Bakels NZ Supreme Pie Awards last week and bakers with Cambodian heritage won seven out of the eleven categories. So why do Cambodians make such great pies? To find out, Jesse spoke to the legendary pie maker Patrick Lam from Patrick's Pies Gold Star Bakery in Tauranga Patrick has won the prestigious Supreme Pie Award an incredible 8 times over the years. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Cambodian bakers sweep 2025 Bakels Supreme Pie Awards
Apart from those at the top, it's hard to ignore the many Cambodian names in the full pie awards lists every year, as well as those joining other baking competitions. The bakers themselves believe their country of origin has made them resilient and hard-working. Cambodia's French colonial history has also given them palates sensitive to pastry. Support from within their community has also been key. It is not uncommon for someone to work in a bakery run by a family member or a friend when they first arrive in New Zealand and pick up baking – that's how eight-time supreme winner Patrick Lam got a break. Patrick Lam (second from right) winning the supreme award in 2023. From left: Jessica Lam, Darren Lam, Lay Phan Ho, Patrick Lam and Lawrence Lam. Photo / Supplied Lam, who runs bustling bakeries in Tauranga and Rotorua, left Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime and went through 'a very difficult and traumatic time'. After staying at a Vietnamese refugee camp then living in Australia for some years, Lam and his family finally settled in New Zealand in 1997, where he learnt baking from his brother-in-law and started his business the same year. He says Cambodian bakers are often 'very hard-working' and 'take a lot of pride' in what they do. 'Many of us have come from backgrounds where resilience and resourcefulness were essential, and I think that carries over into our work,' Lam says. So is among those who have thrived after mastering baking techniques at a relative's bakery. Supreme winner of the Bakels Supreme Pie Awards in 2025 Samraksmey So and his wife, Sothdalika Sao. Photo / RNZ, Yiting Lin He picked up his skills from his pie-making brother-in-law, Bunnarith Sao. This year, So's potato top pie outshone that of Sao's to take out the gold award. So says many new migrants follow the footsteps of those who have established their business and life here, which explains why there's an increasing number of Cambodian-owned bakeries in New Zealand. 'I think my people work hard,' says So, who needs a pillow for his legs when he sleeps at night after standing for long hours in the kitchen. He says sharing ideas with family like Sao, as well as diligent research and testing on his own, helps improve the quality of his baking. 'Everything I do is by my heart and about love,' he says. 'I want everyone in New Zealand [to] know about me and about my brand, and the shop [to have good food and good pies].' After receiving a highly commended in the 2024 awards, So spent a year studying every detail to perfect his 2025 entry. He worked with a chef from a five-star hotel to get it right, and worked past midnight cranking out test pies before finally nailing his swirled potato top pie with a centre of fondant-style cooked potatoes finished in au gratin layers. Bunnarith Sao. The success of the younger Cambodian bakers has made him very proud. Photo / Supplied Another apprentice of 52-year-old Sao, Sok Keo from Milldale Bakery in Wainui, north of Auckland, also won gold this year for his steak and cheese creation. Sao has been running his bakery in New Zealand for 21 years and has bagged plenty of prizes himself. Sao says many Cambodians come to New Zealand for a better life, and are prepared to work hard. '[Baking was] the last option for my life,' he says, explaining it was hard for him to find a job in NZ so he had to learn baking from a friend to make a living. 'Sometimes [we must] force ourselves to do the job. We can't choose it.' The exposure to European tastes during French colonisation has helped Cambodians develop an instinct for good baking, Sao says. 'The Cambodian people, [our] tongue...I know [our] brain and [our] tongue know that flavour.' The very first female baker to win the supreme pie awards, Sopheap Long, also acknowledges the French influence. Sopheap Long winning the supreme pie award in 2021, with her husband Bunna Hout. Photo / Supplied 'I've never seen a pie in Cambodia till I came to New Zealand,' she says, 'but the cake, the artisan bread, they're seen in Cambodia because [there are] a lot of French bakeries over there.' She still remembers being 'over the moon' with her victory in 2021 – becoming the first woman to win in the award's quarter century history. It took lots of research and experimenting to successfully nail the perfect pastry, the filling and at just the right temperature. Pies being sold at Rosedale Bakery and Cafe in Auckland's Northshore. Photo / RNZ, Yiting Lin 'If you're talking about pies now and the pie like 20 years ago, it's really different,' Long says. 'The classic ones are still popular, like steak and cheese, mince and cheese, potato top pie or mince pie... but nowadays the pie is different because people are looking for something different.' When Long dines out, she often considers whether the meal she orders could be put into a pie, such as beef stroganoff. '[There are] very modern, very fancy pie right now,' she says. 'It's not like 25 years ago when I first came in New Zealand. So yeah, [I'll] keep learning.' She says she often talks about pies with her Cambodian baker friends. '[We] just learn from each other. [We] look up to each other and inspiring each other to do better and better.'
Free Malaysia Today
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Uncle Tiger Ball' turns 25 years of beer nights into foil art
Patrick Lam has spent the past 25 years rolling foil from beer bottles into his famous 'beer ball'. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle) AMPANG JAYA : His children said he was crazy. Others shot puzzled looks his way. But many secretly admired 68-year-old Patrick Lam for his creativity and sheer determination. After all, it's not every day you meet someone who has spent nearly 25 years of his life building a really heavy ball – made entirely out of pieces of Tiger beer bottle foil. Every night at 8pm, Lam can be found at Hoong Fok Kopitiam in Ampang Jaya. There, he knocks back a few beers with friends, entertains curious onlookers, and – armed with his trusty glue – patiently adds on to his growing collection of foil art. 'I cannot stay at home. I told my children, 'Don't ask daddy to look after the grandson'. Every night, I just want to go out, and enjoy my life with my beer buddies,' the father of four told FMT Lifestyle. 'All my children used to say 'Daddy, you are very crazy'. They called me a crazy man,' he added. Lam says rolling the beer ball improves blood circulation. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle) But now? They've come around. In fact, they're so proud of him, they've even made T-shirts featuring his iconic foil ball. The ball, which weighs more than 10kg, took him more than two decades to complete. Lam, who's also a dog rescuer, has lost count of how many pieces of foil he has used. But his dedication to his foil ball hasn't gone unnoticed – Tiger Beer recently surprised him with boxes of leftover tin foil (about 120,000 pieces) after they switched to using paper foil on their bottles. So what started this unusual hobby? Lam, who's nicknamed Uncle Tiger Ball, credits a late friend who inspired him to start collecting foil years ago. 'He started making a very small ball. Then, he died at a very young age. I decided to continue it up till now,' he recalled fondly. Every night, Lam drinks beer with his friends and spends at least three hours working on his foil creations. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle) And while Lam, a farmer before he retired, insists he's not a 'crazy drinker', he does enjoy at least three beers a night. With each bottle, he carefully removes the foil, rolls it, and glues it onto his masterpiece. 'I roll it using my palms … to keep myself healthy. This improves blood circulation,' said the grandfather of four. Other regulars at the kopitiam happily pass him their pieces of foil too – eager to be part of the project. 'I have a lot of fans. They come to visit me because of my Tiger ball, not because of me! They will take a photograph with me to show off to their friends.' And if you're expecting a paunchy old man hunched over his beer, think again. Lam is fit and full of energy. His arms are firm, his posture upright, and his face shows barely any wrinkles. His secret? Besides the beer ball, Lam is also working on making foil bottles and cans. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle) 'I look after my food intake. I exercise daily. I don't eat much. I watch my diet. I'm addicted to exercise. Every day, I'm on the treadmill, just brisk walking for one and a half hours. 'The beer … I drink only moderately,' he shared. 'And I must have a good night's sleep. I sleep very easily. It's the secret,' he said. And he's not stopping anytime soon. Now that the ball is done, Lam is crafting new foil sculptures in the shape of beer bottles and cans. With thousands of pieces of foil still in hand, he plans to keep going for another decade, right from his favourite kopitiam. 'The most important thing is, I'm interested in doing this. That's why I do it every night,' he concluded. Follow Patrick Lam on Facebook.
HKFP
06-05-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
NGO Reporters Without Borders defends Press Freedom Index rankings after state-backed media criticism
State-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao has blasted Reporters Without Borders (RSF), calling the NGO 'a political thug' and its press freedom rankings 'a political smear tool.' In a Chinese op-ed published on Saturday, the newspaper claimed that RSF did not represent 'the true media industry.' 'RSF has long become a political thug, and the World Press Freedom Index has degenerated into a political smear tool in recent years,' it wrote. 'Its smear of the press freedom situation in Hong Kong has reached unimaginable levels.' RSF published its latest press freedom rankings on Friday, one day before World Press Freedom Day. The list saw Hong Kong tumble five places, entering the 'red zone' – meaning a 'very serious' situation – for the first time. The city now sits at 140th place, sandwiched between Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, China fell six spots to 178th place. In response to the op-ed, RSF told HKFP on Tuesday that its index exists 'to compare the level of freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories. It is an independent tool, based on the transparent methodology that is available publicly on the RSF website.' The newspaper went on to state that press freedom has its limits, and that reporters do not have the freedom to spread 'fake news' and 'separatist ideas.' However, RSF said that its survey respondents emphasised a decline in press freedom and an uptick in harassment: 'Since 2020, at least 28 journalists and press freedom defenders have been prosecuted under various pretexts, 10 of whom remain in detention. Dozens of independent media outlets who used to provide the public with reliable, factual and sourced information have been closed down due to the pressure.' 'Red zone' ranking In last week's index, Hong Kong saw sharp dips in all five of the watchdog's indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, socio-cultural context, and safety. The free expression NGO said: 'The main factor behind this decline is the deterioration of the political indicator (-7.28 pts), notably due to the September 2024 conviction for 'sedition' of Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam.' RSF was referring to two former editors of Stand News, who were found guilty last September of conspiring to publish and reproduce seditious publications 'Politically extreme' In the op-ed, Ta Kung Pao said RSF was using the closure of some media outlets, as well as some 'so-called' journalists leaving Hong Kong, to smear the press freedom situation. 'But they never said why these media outlets closed, [or] why some 'so-called' journalists left for overseas,' the op-ed read, adding that the 'reason' was that some outlets had breached Hong Kong's national security laws. Ta Kung Pao also singled out the watchdog's Asia-Pacific Bureau Advocacy Manager Aleksandra Bielakowska, saying she had openly stated her political stance by appealing for people to read and subscribe to some independent outlets that are 'surviving under pressure.' The paper also questioned RSF's funding. In response, RSF told HKFP that its management is transparent, ethical, independent, and 'no political tendency, economic interest or religious belief guides the action of RSF.' 'RSF financing is based, in a balanced manner, on the generosity of the public and our members (donations, memberships, legacies, donations, French and international public subsidies, private sponsorships, RSF albums sale). Each year our accounts are certified by an independent auditor and published in the French Journal Officiel.' Press freedom in Hong Kong has been under the spotlight since the Beijing-imposed national security law came into effect in 2020. Alongside the shuttering of dozens of civil society groups, two of Hong Kong's biggest independent media outlets – Apple Daily and Stand News – also saw their offices raided and their top staff arrested. Apple Daily's founder Jimmy Lai, who has been remanded since December 2020, was charged with two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed national security law, and a third count of conspiring to publish seditious materials under colonial-era legislation. His trial, which had gone on for 145 days, was adjourned in March for the defense and prosecution to prepare closing arguments in July. A verdict is expected in October.
