We believe that anyone who sees the royal icing cookies created by Fon-Chutima Vatayakorn might not hesitate to open the money pocket and shop for these little edible arts. With adorable illustrations and colorful paintings, we may consider eating or watching them as they look too good to be eaten.
Fon-Chutima is an alumni from the international program of Kitchen & Restaurant Management (currently named Professional Culinary Arts (International Program) Joint degree with Le Cordon Bleu), Dusit Thani College (DTC). She opens her own bakery house under the brand “Almond Crushed Bakery” and utilizes the knowledge and experience from DTC to further her business.
“Key knowledge that I learned from DTC is the heart of food and bakery making which contains 3 principles – quality of ingredients, freshness, and attractive display of products and packagings. Therefore, I select and I don’t use margarine since it makes the cookies less flavorful. Margarine also contains unhealthy trans fat, so I refuse using it for the best quality to customers. I was taught to control budget to maintain business profits and avoid losses as well. DTC had me practice systematic thinking and planning to optimize the results. And, certainly, all recipes learned can be practically used in my job as the customers like them.”
Fon got the ideas for royal icing cookies from Pinterest before she adjusted them into her current signature recipe. She mixes ground almonds in the cookies to add more taste and smell. There is also another secret sauce apart from the loving flavor that pushes her business beyond success.
“I used to do public relations (PR) work before. This work requires a lot of creativity and created an opportunity for me to design media, so I gained more artistic skills and experience. Furthermore, I learned how to set strategies for the products to be more attractive.”
What probably make Fon’s cookies outstanding are creative ideas, which was cultivated in her since her study at DTC. Apart from the attractive appearance, she also adds value to her royal icing cookies by having made-to-order service. Customers can order specific illustrations, including brand logos, for their special occasions.
“So far, I have created logo cookies for many organizations such as Major Development, KIS International School, Mercedes Benz Thonglor, Dermalogica, VCC, 50 Plus Holiday, etc. Made-to-order cookies help increase my revenue as there are corporate orders that deliver my cookies to their customers in occasions like New Year Day and their customers’ birthday. Most of them place high-quantity orders, so I have additional incomes over the retails. They also create word-of-mouth marketing which gains more new customers without advertising. Logo cookies are rare in the bakery market as well, so their distinctiveness could attract people’s eyes, meet corporates’ needs and ideas, and become the key selling point of Almond Crushed Bakery.”
I asked Fon what the charms of royal icing cookies and other bakeries are.
“Personally, I like arts,” she answered. “So I try blending my personal liking with knowledge and experience learned from DTC. Since then, I always enjoy designing, drawing, and baking cookies, cakes, and other bakeries. It helps me practice concentration, too. These are the charms of baking.”
The happiness of a baker like Fon is not only making scrumptious bakeries, but also enhancing creative ideas to create and send happiness from her as a seller to the buyers, and finally to the receivers.
