Hot mango tart. (Photo/Provided to China Daily)
Marie Antoinette probably never uttered the phrase so often attributed to her: Let them eat cake.
But Bonnae Gokson, the Hong Kong maven of style behind the restaurant Sevva and custom cake shop Ms B's Cakery, has no trouble embracing both the redoubtable empress and the literal meaning of her words.
"I tried to image what Marie Antoinette would be like if she were a cake," says Gokson with a chuckle during afternoon tea at a Louis Vuitton exhibition in Beijing. The result of her musing: a bracelet-like base studded with macaroons in the bright pastel colors of a merry-go-round. On top is a flourish of cotton-candy, a coiffure worthy of a French queen, a Texas socialite or even the matron of The Simpsons－if Marge ever went pink.
Gokson is in town to create a three-week pop-up cafe, in conjunction with a digital exhibition showcasing the spring/summer 2015 collection of star designer Nicolas Ghesquiere.
"I'm honored to collaborate with such a world-famous fashion house that I have always respected," she says. The LV label clearly respects her as well; its executives know her iconic Hong Kong restaurant and bakery, as well as her earlier work directing Chanel's image and communications in Asia. She also made a reputation as the designer of the Joyce stores founded by her sister, Joyce Ma.
"Louis Vuitton is focused on fine craftsmanship－and so am I," she says of the collaboration. "They don't ask why you'd go to the trouble of making sugar butterflies by hand－they get it. They think the same way."
Gokson says the fact she is not a trained chef makes it easy to think outside of the box: She's never been in one. Her inspirations come from artfulness she sees all around her: caramel crunch cake with flourishes of white icing that evoke long, slender flower buds; "Lollipop", a fiesta of colors that sings of her childhood; other confections inspired by couture shows and movies (a favorite drink is dubbed "The Wizard of Oz").
While Gokson's creations are delicate and fine, they are not dainty, at least in serving portions.
"I like thick cake," she says, "the kind that would come out of your grandma's kitchen. Fluffy!" She frets about the current trend in cupcakes, which she finds far too fussy. "Do pretty things around it," she says, instead of overwhelming a good piece of cake.
Honesty and quality are her watchwords, which she displays in a dish as simple as beef noodle soup.
"We take 16 steps to get that type of rich broth and noodle," she says of the signature dish that she has brought from Hong Kong for the Beijing event, which also marks the opening of LV's China World Maison store.
