PHOTO STORIES: A DAY WITH COCOLICO

Hi there! It has been a while since I last posted on my blog. As you may have noticed, my content is changing. My website will now be dedicated to share my photography work and all the magic that goes behind it.  Thank you so much for sticking around and following my journey. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend some time with a super talented vegan pastry chef Celine (@cocolico) and photograph her creations. Celine comes from France, but she has now lived in the UK for more than 5 years making the most elegant and mouth-watering plant-based desserts for her lovely customers. 

I had a wonderful time photographing her work and having beautiful conversations about her upbringing, her career and the story behind @cocolico.

I hope you enjoy it!

Can you share with us a little bit about your upbringing? Which parts of your life do you see as being the foundation of who you are today? 

I come from a family of war survivors (Cambodian genocide) and I know they went through hunger. They arrived in France as refugees (in the early 80s).They had many jobs, including catering, so since I can remember, I was always surrounded by food. Food has always been a big part of our life. I spent loads of time at the family restaurant. My family made sure that we (my brothers and myself) would never be hungry. I think growing up, it naturally made me a ‘feeder’ kind of person. I love feeding people and I always worry that I am not cooking enough when I’m hosting. Even nowadays, I can be overwhelming with my partner because I want to make sure he eats enough, but sometimes it’s just too much! 

Moreover, I’ve always watched my family work very hard. It really must be difficult to arrive in a country where you do not speak the language at all, and having to adapt and provide for your family. So I think that it unconsciously made me a hard worker as well. 

What traditions surrounding food from your childhood do you still carry to this day? 

Well, I still eat and cook with chopsticks and eat my rice in a bowl! I also drink hot water, with nothing, just hot water. It is very common in Asia to drink hot water because no one really drinks from the tap, so they always boil it to make it safe for consumption. Obviously, I never lived in Asia but this is something that has been passed to me… Also, very strangely I hate the taste of water, so having it hot makes it feel like a treat and helps me keep hydrated!

Most traditional foods from my childhood are very heavy in meat so since I became vegan, there aren't many dishes I eat anymore. I’ve tried to make some of them myself, but it is time consuming and is never as tasty as when the family makes it for you. However, I still eat mostly a certain type of rice (Thai jasmine rice), and cook it in a rice cooker. In fact, if you give me a pan, I would have no idea of how to properly cook the rice. 

Festive times, like Chinese New Year, I’d have hot pot which is my favourite meal, and it can easily be vegetarian.

Have you always wanted to be a baker?

I have always been obsessed with food in general, but after graduating high school, I entered a nurse school for 3 years. Six months before passing, I decided to quit, it was a hard decision, we needed nurses, but I think I was too young (I was 20 at that time). I loved studying but the job was very hard physically and emotionally.

I also come from a family of caterers, and as Asian, they didn’t really have an easy life, so they educate us children to be excellent at school so we can do valuable jobs (doctor, lawyer, engineer…), so I didn’t get the support I needed at first when I said I want to work in the catering industry, but eventually they had no choice but to do so.

I love cooking in general, but baking is where I thrive at, I love that discipline, and yet the creativity is infinite.

How long have you been creating plant-based French patisserie?

I started Cocolico Patisserie in February 2018, so a bit more than 3 years now! But I have been working as a pastry chef since I graduated in 2011 from catering school.

What brought you to England from Paris?

My partner was offered a job opportunity back in June 2016, we didn’t think much about it, and we quit everything and moved in about 3 weeks. We always had a taste for adventure, and we also wanted to improve our English, and there we are, without looking back.

Where did the idea for Cocolico come from? 

Cocolico used to be my nickname on the web. When I was about 13 I used to be a big fan of an Asian American singer whose name is Coco Lee, and because my family name is Lee, I wanted to identify myself to her and even went blond to resemble her! Cocolico is also similar to ‘Coquelicot’ which in French means poppy flower, and I love this flower because red is my favourite colour. 

When it was time to decide a name for my business, it was either something like Celine’s kitchen, but then we thought it was a bit boring. Cocolico was catchier and it sounded French too, so there it is: Cocolico Patisserie. 

What are the challenges of creating a plant-based patisserie?

The challenges are multiples. Substituting, without denaturing. It has to look good and taste even better. Substituting dairy is the easiest part, but with eggs, it’s much trickier. I’m also trying to use less refined products: sugar and margarine for example give great results, but I would like my patisserie to be as natural as possible, using high quality ingredients, and supporting other small businesses (vegan honey, vegan butter, fair trade vanilla, organic chocolate etc…).

Moreover, you need to convince everyone that the product is just as good, even better than the conventional one. I have found, at the beginning of my vegan adventure, that most people who realise that it is vegan, tended to be put off because they thought it couldn’t be good. However, when they tried, they were amazed by the taste and texture. The mentalities change though, and people are more aware now, partly because some of them have many food allergies or intolerances, and the demand is higher than ever.

What is your favourite creation?

The passionfruit and hazelnut tartelette is my most favourite creation and also a favourite among my customers. This combo is just meant to be. 

Where do you get your inspiration for the recipes you create? 

Nature and seasons inspire me. I always try to work with what Nature offers. Social media is a great source of inspiration too as I follow many talented chefs, so sometimes I see some creations that I think I could veganise. 

Travelling also inspires me very much, as I love eating and discovering new foods from all around the world. 

What is inspiring you right now?

I have discovered tarot card reading recently, and gifted myself a beautiful deck, just to have something inspiring and positive to do every day. I would pull a random card and look with great attention, and receive a message, an advice for the day. 

At the moment I try to focus on my well-being, and would really like to make my mental health a priority, so I have found spirituality to be a great source of inspiration. 

Do you have any exciting plans for this year?

I would love to move out of my home kitchen to a more spacious unit. This would allow me more capacity.