Grand dossier
Ju Ming Zhou and Hui Qing Liang came to Montréal in 1993. Twelve years later, they carried on the family tradition by opening a bakery specializing in Guangzhou pastries.
Ju Ming Zhou and Hui Qing Liang
As part of the exhibition Dialogue with Montréal’s Chinese Community, the MEM met with members of the Chinese community in Montréal. This is Ju Ming Zhou and Hui Qing Liang’s story.
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“Happiness is the smell of fresh-baked pastries that take you back to your childhood.”
Ju Ming Zhou and his wife, Hui Qing Liang, opened Chez Chow with this philosophy of happiness in mind. Modest in appearance but rich in history, the small family bakery specialized in traditional Guangzhou pastries. Recapturing flavours from the past, its treats were a novelty to some customers while evoking cherished traditions for others.
The origins of Chez Chow
Pâtisserie Chow
The famous mooncakes
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Every year, two months before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ju Ming and Hui Qing would begin the long process of making their renowned mooncakes, from the filling to the dough.
During the annual celebration, families gather to enjoy mooncakes in the festive glow of red lanterns. One such lantern hung by Chez Chow’s door. During this busy time, the couple would join the staff in the kitchen, spending more than fourteen hours a day in front of the ovens. Their specialty was lotus mooncakes, with two salted egg yolks and a glazed pastry wrapping. They also made red bean, green bean, white lotus, and five-nut versions. The mooncakes were Ju Ming’s greatest pride, and visitors from around the world would stop by the shop to try them.
Fei Tao Zhou’s memories
Pâtisserie Chow - molds
In 2020, a few months after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chez Chow closed its doors, and the couple began a gradual transition to retirement. Chinatown mourned the loss of an institution and the traditions it represented. Looking back, Fei Tao Zhou, one of the couple’s six children and a nurse by profession, considers herself lucky to have been involved in the family business. When her parents opened the shop, she knew little about traditional pastries. But, helping them, she came to appreciate the value of the legacy her parents had shared with the community. “I decided to start a Facebook page to help promote not just the cakes, but also the culture and wisdom of a vanishing culinary art,” says Fei Tao. “I think that, in addition to bringing traditional flavours, my parents brought with them a priceless piece of our heritage.”
In spring 2021, Chez Chow’s trilingual store sign is still visible, reflecting a chapter in Chinatown’s history—and the passion of a lifetime.
乐春林饼家（2020年关闭）
「我们秉承家族食谱制作广州传统糕点。」
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「我们于2005年开设了乐春林饼家。我和我的妻子都来自广州的糕点世家，所以我们觉得在这里开店是顺理成章的。我们的全部工序都是亲手制作，而我们所有的食谱都是世代相传的。
最初，门店并没有窗户，因为原本为住宅楼宇。因此我不得不拆除了门面墙，并装上了玻璃窗和玻璃门。我去了一家五金店，购买并亲自安装了所有陈列架。自开店以来，这些陈列架上每天都摆满了新鲜的糕点，这是我们最值得感到自豪的。 」- 周举明
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Traduction en chinois simplifié : Serena Xiong. Révisé par Philippe Liu.
樂春林餅家（2020年關閉）
「我們秉承家族食譜製作廣州傳統糕點。」
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「我們於2005年開設了樂春林餅家。我和我的妻子都來自廣州的糕點世家，所以我們覺得在這裏開店是合情理的。我們全部工序都是親手做，而我們所有的食譜都是世代相傳的。
最初，該店沒有窗戶，原本為住宅樓宇。我需拆除前壁，並裝上玻璃窗和玻璃門。我去了一家五金店，親自安裝了所有陳列架。自開店以來，這些陳列架上每天都放滿了新鮮的糕點，這是我們最值得感到自豪的。 」- 周舉明
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Traductrice : Wai Yin Kwok
