Daphane Loke
Founder, Saybons & French Food Factory Pte Ltd
Grace: I’d first tried the soup at Saybons when I was shopping at Plaza Singapura earlier this month. Paid a total of $8 for the Seafood Bisque and the Wild Mushroom soup, both served in mugs and very yummy:
Qn 1) What is it like to run a food business, especially a niche one – French food? (Also, why did you choose French food in particular?)
Really fun! I love being in the food business, it’s really a dream job for me although I have to admit that there are lots of challenges along the way. Lots of nitty gritty details that will require my attention everyday and can be really energy sapping. I chose French food because I’ve always been drawn to Western cuisine. ( My Asian cooking is horrible!) And when I was looking for a formal culinary education, the French have one of the most institutionalized culinary programmes in the world so I decided to pursue it.
2) Did you plan it that way – to pursue a course in Le Cordon Bleu, work in a corporate job for 5 years, and then go into the food business?
Yup! I knew I would need capital to start a business so I worked a few years after Cordon Bleu to save up. Also, I wanted a taste of the corporate world so that I can say that I’ve been there and done that and will know what I am missing out or not missing out on when I eventually strike out on my own. That aside, my corporate experience has been really valuable to me as I learnt about corporate processes and systems that I can now use in my company.
3) Which are the most important business lessons that school or family have imparted to you?
Manage your cashflow and always listen to your customers’ feedback.
4) Have you gotten any feedback from French tourists or French expats? Is the French food you serve any different from what they get in France? Have you done anything to localise the taste?
Certainly. We have a lot of regular customers who are native French expats working or living in Singapore and they tell me that my crepes and soups are just like what they have back home and sometimes even better. I’ve not done much to localize the taste as I want to maintain the authenticity. The only difference is that I’ve packaged my food differently from what you get in France. They certainly do not drink soups from cups and their crepe packaging is less fancy.
5) What do you love most about this business and what plans do you have in the pipeline for expansion?
I love meeting customers and seeing them enjoy our food and also explaining to them what French cuisine is about. I like that this industry is very fast-paced and yet offers a lot of creativity for me when it comes to designing new menu items or promotions. Certainly we have plans for expansion within Singapore and even overseas as we’ve been getting franchising enquiries.
Grace says: Saybons will be selling X’mas soup party packs and butter hampers so keep a lookout for these via their Facebook page. We’ve been having some cold, rainy days lately so I’ve been very tempted to make a special trip to Saybons for their soup. Try their soups and you will certainly say “C’est bon!” (It’s good!) 
