The hawker centre was Pong’s first choice to start her bakery as she saw a lack of well-made and eye-catching cakes there. “People from all walks of life visit hawker centres; there are no barriers when it comes to hawker food,” she says. “I grew up with affordable hawker food and want to bring value back to society through food.”

Opening a hawker stall also made business sense given that Pong’s initial start-up costs were about $5,000—four times lower than the typical start-up cost of a hawker stall. She was part of the National Environment Agency’s Incubation Stall Programme, which gives aspiring hawkers a 50 per cent rental rebate for the first nine months, followed by a 25 per cent rental rebate for the next six months. She was also allocated a stall pre-fitted with metal shelving. The lower start-up costs enabled Pong to sell her bakes at wallet-friendly prices. The stall’s bakes have been a surprise hit among middle-aged customers in the sleepy Ghim Moh neighbourhood—some have mistaken her squarish teacakes in flavours like earl grey lavender for fried beancurd. Part of The Headless Baker’s draw, she says, is due to its “mascot”—her affable 67-year-old retiree father who engages with customers.

Business has been brisk, with up to 1,000 to 1,200 items sold on weekends. The dining restrictions during the pandemic did little to dampen the insatiable demand for baked goods. Pong introduced new products such as pastry boxes and joined delivery platform Pickupp to manage growing demand.

Her top tip to aspiring hawkers? Have a good product before thinking about branding and marketing. She explains: “Customers in hawker centres are very direct—if they don’t like your food, they simply will not return.” This means that her team of four bakers are constantly on their toes, brainstorming new flavours and improving the quality of bakes.

Nurturing her staff also plays a crucial role to ensure the sustainability of her hawker business. “There has to be a succession plan for your team—be willing to teach and delegate so that your staff can be empowered and see a future with you,” she muses.

Her team will have bigger shoes to fill as Pong expanded her business to start The Headless Baker & Sons cafe at The Star Vista in late July. The cafe, which is four times larger than the hawker stall, allows her team to make croissants, puff pastries, cakes and serve coffee. Beaming with pride, she says: “The hawker stall has been a stepping stone to achieving my dream of creating a full-fledged bakery experience.”