It’s about more than doughnuts for this pastry business owner in PJ, Malaysia

A standard doughnut weighs between 24 and 38 grams. That’s how heavy a standard-sized AA battery or a small apple is.

But to Yew Shih Sheng, who runs his own artisan pastry business in Malaysia, each doughnut is more than just 30 grams of flour and sugar; they remind him of things like the smile on his grandmother’s face, the smells of her cooking and baking, and the days he spent with her watching the Asian Food Channel on TV.

“My grandmother is a really good cook,” says Yew, smiling fondly. “I was always beside her when she cooked, and I learned a bit from her whenever I could.”

Because of his grandmother’s influence, he was inspired to pursue something related to food as he got older. His love for her and food brought him all the way to Australia and back, and today, he’s both the founder and the heart behind Malaysian pastry business Nareo Donut.

 

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A culinary trip to the land down under

Yew started out like most culinary students – pursuing a degree. He chose to begin his journey at Berjaya University College, a private institution in Malaysia.

“I studied for two and a half years and did an internship at Shangri-la Hotel,” he says. “But after that, I felt like I had to do something a bit different, so I looked into doing a pastry course.”

After some research, he made a choice; in 2015, Yew would travel to Australia to study at the William Angliss Institute in Melbourne.

This piqued this author’s interest. Why Australia, I asked – people would usually go to Italy or France for pastry courses. After all, the French were known for their classic techniques and traditions, and the country is home to some of the best schools for pastry in the world, like Le Cordon Bleu and École Ducasse; many pastry business owners had their beginnings there.

“I actually visited Australia before I went there to study, and that was a big part of my decision,” Yew admits. “I love how the people there take two things seriously – their food, and their work-life balance.”

Another reason was that Australia is situated closer to Malaysia. Yew would have to fly 12 or 14 hours to Europe, but Australia only needed around eight.

And for him, who valued being close to his family, it felt more reassuring to be as close as possible while ensuring he got the education he wanted.

“I really felt like I had to try out more things while I was still young – discover more flavours and patterns,” he muses. “If I stayed in Malaysia, I probably would have stuck to local flavours; Australia was great for me because it was very diverse and had a large Asian, Italian and Greek population too.”

“I feel like it was a good start for me to discover new combinations and fusions, and be more comfortable playing around with flavours and textures,” he adds.

Yew spent a little over two years at the William Angliss Institute. He enjoyed that it was more practical than culinary and pastry courses in Malaysia, and he had the opportunity to work closely with his professors and lecturers.

More importantly, he enjoyed the open culture in Australia. Everyone seemed open to feedback, ideas, and criticism, and they would work together to solve issues, if any.

In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he decided to stay on after graduation for over a decade.

Yew with his team in Melbourne. Source: Yew Shih Sheng

“I started out working part-time in different cafes and restaurants, and even did some catering for weddings and banquet halls,” he says. “Then I started working on pastries to try different things and really liked the experience.”

It wasn’t an easy decision to stay on in Australia as he had to leave his family behind in Malaysia. Still, Yew received a full-time offer after graduation and felt he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“I was like, why not?” says Yew. “I enjoyed working there a lot and liked the people I worked with. Living there also made everything accessible.”

Yew worked on cupcakes, gelato, and other artisanal baking goods across Melbourne and Sydney. His highlight? A seven-year stint at pastry business Shortstop Coffee & Donuts in Melbourne, where he grew fond of the round pastry and the multitude of fillings and flavours he could put in it.

So, there he was for almost a whole decade. But as you may recall, he now owns his pastry business in Malaysia.

How did that come about?

 

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The decision to come back

Yew cited two things that made him return to Malaysia.

The first was identifying a gap in the Malaysian pastry scene. Cakes, cookies, scones and bagels were a dime a dozen – but not doughnuts.

“Sure, there are things like Dunkin or Krispy Kreme, but they’re all very commercialised,” says Yew. “I felt like there was a gap to fill here, and I really wanted to come back and share what I learned in Melbourne.”

Yew also admits that he felt like he had spent too long away from home and wanted to return to spend more time with his loved ones.

So he returned to Malaysia with big, tasty plans. For several months, he worked on sourcing equipment, finding the right location, figuring out logistics, and most importantly, testing out flavours he thought the Malaysian market would like.

Looking back, he wished he had given himself a little more time with his pastry business. “I started setting up everything within the first few months I was back,” he admits. “There were a lot of unexpected things, like waiting for permits that got delayed, planning out logistics, sourcing equipment… and then, of course, trying to find a good team.”

To Yew, having good people around him was an essential aspect of any business – this was something he experienced in Australia, and he knew that he needed to find the right individuals. Thankfully, he managed to source a few who were equally as passionate about pastries as he was.

“I think everyone was quite open in Australia. They’re willing to take and give feedback on how to improve things together, and that’s something I wanted to bring back to Malaysia,” says Yew. “Now I tell my team things like, oh, if you guys have new ideas or feedback, tell me and we can work it out. I’m always eager to hear from them.”

 

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What’s running a pastry business like?

Another thing that Yew had to get used to again after returning to Malaysia was the difference in taste.

In Australia, he noticed that people seemed to favour sweeter flavours and could eat doughnuts at any time of the day. On the other hand, Malaysians preferred a more diverse flavour profile and would usually eat doughnuts as a tea-time snack or dessert.

“It also depends on the age range – younger Malaysians are more adventurous, and the older ones are more traditional,” he says, smiling.

His reply was almost immediate when I asked him about a flavour he thought Malaysians weren’t ready for. “I like to think of myself as an adventurous person, and I’d try everything, but I do think that Malaysians will have a hard time with something like a Marmite doughnut,” he says cheekily. “That was something suggested to me by some Australians – I don’t think we’re ready for that just yet.”

One thing special about Yew’s pastry business is that he ensures everything is made fresh by hand.

“I definitely wanted to do it like how Aussies make their doughnuts. This meant making everything from scratch, rather than buying pre-made fillings and glazes,” he explains. “I roast my own hazelnuts, make my own butter and chocolate – everything right down to the tiny parts is handmade. That’s what makes it special.”

But being in the kitchen isn’t the only part of his day-to-day. If he’s not baking, he’s busy catching up on admin duties like accounts, handling suppliers, or testing new ingredients. His day starts around seven in the morning, and when I asked what time he usually gets off, he only laughs.

“I still try to have a good balance,” he says. “But I do love what I do, which is important for any business owner, and it feels very rewarding when I see my team happy, or witness my customers’ faces when they bite into a doughnut. It’s definitely satisfying seeing them come back, and I appreciate them a lot.”