Couple behind China Pastry helped bring 'bun culture' to Regina

As I walk into China Pastryat 206 Victoria Ave. E. in Regina, I'm greeted by the delightful aroma of fresh baking and a long lineup of customers eager to bite into sweet and buttery buns. It's a clear sign I've come to the right place this Saturday morning.

It's taken decades of hard work, but China Pastry owners Sally and Tony Wong say they've established a nice flow together over the years.

Front-of-house one-woman show Sally takes customer orders, punches numbers into a small calculator, and boxes the buns quickly. She yells at Tony in Cantonese when something is running low.

Tony preps trays of buns and pops them in the oven, replenishing the stock that Sally draws from.

The duo have made a name for themselves, honing their precise choreography while serving multiple generations of loyal customers.

"Our regular customers, now after 30 years, they come shop, and they always ask, 'How [are] your babies? How [are] your girls?'" Sally says with a laugh. "Because over these 30 years, they've seen our girls grow up in the bakery."

Bringing Hong Kong baking to Regina

Sally and Tony hail from Guangdong, China, the province just north of Hong Kong. Sally came to Regina in 1988, joining her sister and brother-in-law who already lived here. Tony immigrated to Regina in 1993.

Tony learned to bake in Hong Kong, motivated by his own appetite.

"I always liked to eat these buns," he said. "That's why I wanted to learn how to make them."

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Many of the buns sold at China Pastry are classics you would find in bakeries in Hong Kong and in Chinatowns all over the world. The cocktail bun, the pineapple bun, the BBQ pork bun and the cream bun are staples.

The buns are delicious and the bread issoft, airy and a touch sweet. Some buns have a nice golden finish and sheen, similar to a brioche. Some (like the pineapple bun, which actually has no pineapple in it, but is so named due to its topping texture) have a crispy, sugary, cookie-like crust made with sugar, eggs, flour and shortening.

When China Pastry opened 30 years ago, Tony and Sally had a smaller lineup and smaller scale of production. Over time, they found their rhythm and expanded as their customers demanded it.

The Wongs first opened China Pastry at the corner of 11th Avenue and St. John Street in 1994. They later relocated to University Park Drive and Quance Street. For a time, they served Chinese food takeout, but they sold that portion of the business in 2014 and moved to their current location.

Since then, they've focused on baking, with16 types of Chinese buns, as well as almond cookies, egg tarts and cake rolls (either with cream or lemon gel filling) every week.

"We still get orders for birthday cakes, but we can't do those anymore," said Sally. "We don't have time."

A family business

The demand for their baked goods is an endorsement of Sally and Tony themselves. Not only does Sally remember customers' names and faces, she also remembers them by their order.

Tony, meanwhile, shows his care in how he makes his fillings, balancing the flavours and keeping them consistent week after week.

"It makes him happy because he still makes everything from scratch by hand and in the authentic Hong Kong way, using natural ingredients," his daughter Elisa explained, interpreting for her dad. "He wanted to bring this Chinese baking and bun culture to Regina."

She and her sister, Jessica, are proud of their parents' efforts over the years.

The Wongs have scaled back a bit now. Tony used to bakefive days a week that has now reduced to four.

"They've been working so hard for 30 years, so we look forward to having more family time with them in the future once they retire," said Elisa.

The couple hope to sell the business to a younger baker who might like to expand the menu to offer Chinese food, like they once did, or contemporary modern items, like bubble tea.

They're imagining a quieter retirement, with Tony dreaming of long days spent fishing.

As they approach the end of their culinary journey, they say their feelings can be summed up in three words: happy, tired and thankful,as Sally says, "for our family, friends and customers who have supported our business for 30 years."