Salon du Pain 2026 | 02 Before It Becomes Fun

Salon du Pain 2026
Taste of Memories
A Special Two-Day Showcase
30–31 May 2026
GF Concourse, Isetan The Japan Store
Lot 10, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
10:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Some people have been reminding me that this is supposed to be fun.

Johnny from Salon du Pain has been checking in on me regularly, telling me to enjoy the process and not carry everything too heavily.

The Isetan team has been very patient with my delays.

Cindy from Marubishi has been like a cheerleader from the side, encouraging me through each step.

Even Chef Nogami sent messages to calm me down.

He told me to take it easy, that we could do this together in a relaxed way, and that I could contact him anytime if I needed anything.

He even said this should be less stressful than a competition.

I laughed when I read that.

Because somehow, even when something is not a competition, my mind can still turn it into one.

For Salon du Pain, there is a short interview session with the organiser.

There is a simple photoshoot session for some of the showcase products.

There is Chef Nogami flying in specially for this event.

There is the pressure of trying to bake something different from what we usually make at Croisserie.

There is the planning of how to weave these two days of special bakes into our existing daily production, without disturbing the rhythm of the bakery too much.

There is costing.

There is pricing.

There is deciding how each item should be introduced, explained, packed, displayed, and understood.

And then, quietly behind all of that, there is anticipation.

Will people understand these breads?

Will they accept something slightly different from what they are used to seeing from me?

Will the idea make sense once it is finally on the table?

Another part of the pressure also comes from what this showcase represents.

Salon du Pain is not only a two-day bread event for me. In some way, I also feel that we are carrying the spirit of Ambassadeurs du Pain Malaysia — not as a competition, but as a small public expression of what artisan bread can be.

That includes the ideas behind Respectus Panis.

Less mixing.

Longer fermentation.

More attention to flour, water, time, temperature, and the quiet life inside the dough.

These are not loud techniques. They do not always look dramatic from the outside. But they ask for patience, sensitivity, and a different way of thinking about bread.

So when I think about what to prepare for Salon du Pain, I am not only thinking about whether the bread looks attractive or whether people will buy it.

I am also thinking about how to introduce these ideas in a way that feels approachable.

How to make something rooted in craft, but still enjoyable.

How to show technique without making it feel too serious.

How to let people taste the philosophy, even if they do not know the words behind it.

All of this takes a lot of brain space.

Sometimes, before the actual work even begins, the thinking itself already feels like work.

I have to admit, I am really a last-minute person.

I do not know if it is procrastination.

Or indecisiveness.

Or perfectionism.

Or maybe simply a lack of skill in starting before everything feels clear enough.

For a long time, I was used to keeping away from challenges when I could.

“Slow and steady wins the race” has always been something I believed in.

I would not call it laziness.

But I know myself enough to admit that sometimes, I need a small push before I make the first move.

Maybe that is also why this project matters to me.

It is not only about the breads.

It is also about learning how to step into something before I feel completely ready.

To prepare while still feeling unsure.

To make decisions even when the ideas are not yet perfect.

To trust the people around me when they say, “Take it easy.”

And to remember that not everything meaningful has to begin with confidence.

Sometimes, it begins with stress.

Then slowly, through the messages, the planning, the tasting, the adjusting, and the people who keep encouraging you, the stress starts to move.

It becomes action.

It becomes a table.

It becomes something shared.

Eventually, things will roll out.

I will just have to make it work.

With the best effort I can give.

By hook or by crook.

And maybe somewhere along the way, before I even realise it, it will become fun.