From Felda settler's son to Parisian pastry chef

The mixed berry tart is a best-seller in the eatery and features raspberries and blackberries atop a tart base that is firm but yields to a beautiful buttery interior. — Photos: RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star

Growing up, Farid Tawfik had very little resources or money at his disposal. The son of a Felda settler, he grew up in a one-bedroom house in Johor that he shared with his parents and five siblings.

As a child, he sometimes accompanied his father to the oil palm plantation to help with the back-breaking labour involved. Often, he would also turn up at the hospital where his mother worked as a cleaner because he missed her so much.