Irene Soh, in her 40s, never really planned to be a pastry chef. When she was a little girl, her career options ranged from being a fashion designer to an air stewardess and even a lawyer.

The single chef, who is now the pastry chef of the Singapore Marriott Hotel, recalls enrolling in Shatec’s Hotel and Catering course in the late 1970s without knowing what it was all about.

But she found herself enjoying the course, especially when it involved working in the cold side of the kitchen.

However, she dropped out of the three-year course after only a year because she had to work as a waitress at Apollo Hotel as part of her training instead of being attached to the kitchen.

She joined Goodwood Park Hotel as a chef’s apprentice in the 1980s and she says that was where she learnt all she knows about pastries.

She left for Australia in 1994 to work at Northbridge Hotel under a pastry chef. Nine months later, she returned to Singapore and joined the Singapore Marriott, where she has been since.

It may have been her fate to become a chef, she jokes.

She recalls that the first book she ever received – as a prize for being second best student at Kuo Chuan Girls’ School at the age of 12 – was a cookbook for children.

And the second one she received – for scoring distinctions at Kuo Chuan Girls’ School as well – was an Australian Woman’s Weekly cookbook.

“If that isn’t a sign, then I don’t know what is,” she says with a laugh.

Who makes a better chef, a man or a woman?
Men and women both are equally talented, but I feel that for pastry, women are better because they are more patient. Pastry making involves a lot of repetitive procedures that women tend to be better at.

Why did you choose to specialise in desserts?
When I joined Shatec, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the hotel and catering industry. All I knew was that I didn’t want to be in the service segment doing waitressing, or in the hot section of the kitchen because I don’t like the smell of meat and all that heat. So I settled on the cold side of the kitchen, and realised I had a real passion for pastries.

What is one ingredient that you cannot do without?
Definitely sugar, but it is a very tricky ingredient. You must know how to use it and how much to use, or else it spoils the entire dessert.

If you could make dessert for someone special, who would it be?
It would definitely be for Chef Jimmy – I can’t remember his full name. He was the first chef who gave me the opportunity to work with pastries and chocolates when I was at Goodwood Park Hotel.

I may not be as good as he is, but I can show him how I have grown in my own way.

What advice do you have for aspiring chefs?
They must realise the hardships of this career before they join, like never having enough time for anything else apart from pastries.

At Christmas, for example, I would love to have time off like other people, but I can’t because it’s usually during festive seasons that I have very long working hours.

What’s the biggest disaster you’ve had in the kitchen?
There was this time when I was working at Northbridge Hotel in Sydney as a pastry chef’s assistant. I had to serve a hazelnut parfait. It’s like an ice cream sundae, and gelatin is added to help hold the shape until it’s time to serve it. But I forgot the gelatin.

The diners were all waiting for a nice dessert and out came this parfait that didn’t hold and had collapsed completely. We had to serve it in a tall glass with a straw. I was fortunate not to have been scolded by the pastry chef there.

What is the best dessert you have ever had?
It was something I had only once when I was in Japan. I was in a supermarket and this woman was giving out free samples of what looked like a doughnut with fillings such as green tea, chocolate and strawberry.

I loved it but was never able to find it again, even though I have been back to Japan many times. I tried to make my own version but it just isn’t the same.

What is your signature dessert?
My Raspberry Earl Grey cake. It basically comprises raspberry infused with Earl Grey tea, milk chocolate and flour-less sponge. I would say it is an acquired taste. Not everyone likes the blend of acidity and softness.

What would your last meal be?
It would be the best of everything - my mother’s rice dumplings, wonton mee - because I rarely get to enjoy it due to my busy schedule - and my desserts to top it off.

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on October 12, 2008.