About

Hi! I'm Gail - the food photographer and recipe developer behind Teak & Thyme. I'm based in rainy but beautiful Vancouver, BC, where I was born and raised but serve the food community online everywhere.

Growing up in an Asian household, I don't have fond memories of baking with my grandmother's recipes or anything like that. In fact, the oven was mostly just storage space for pots and pans that we would have to take out if we wanted to use it on the rare occasion.

My baking and food blogging journey has been one that I discovered, fell in love with, and nurtured on my own with an inspiring online community that I'm happy to be a part of today.

My obsession with photography led me to food which led me to baking and desserts as I settled into my favourite little niche here in the food content world. You can thank my sweet tooth for that.

Teak & Thyme is a baking and dessert blog where you'll find recipes for all kinds of desserts and drinks. It's a reflection of my own life - a unique intersection of my heritage and all the outside influences throughout my life.

As such, you'll find classic American bakes, French-inspired pastries, and Asian flavours and desserts. It's all a big mashup of all the baked goods I used to look at through the windows of Asian bakeries and things that I never had the chance to eat but always dreamed of tasting one day. I make what I want to eat and I want to eat it all.

I love to create beautiful and delicious desserts that will make you forget about going out for dessert because you know you can make better at home (and maybe have fun doing it!). You! With your own hands! And a bit of time, patience, and practice!

When I'm not busy in my kitchen testing my next recipe, you can find me snuggled up on the couch as a blanket burrito reading my current fiction book and sipping on a milk tea with boba pearls OR I'll be out travelling and/or in the mountains looking for the perfect view to photograph. There's no in-between.

Sometimes I share my adventures on my other Instagram @sunriseandsummit

• Matcha White Chocolate Cookies - Any time I need to make something to share with friends, these matcha cookies are my go-to. They're a fan favourite and everyone always loves them.
• Earl Grey Bubble Tea - I make this at least once every few weeks to sip on during movie night at home. It's always some variation of this recipe. I'll usually just switch up the tea but the process is the same.
• Mango Chiffon Cake - This is my go-to cake recipe for birthdays. It's a light and fluffy cake that isn't too sweet so it's a crowd pleaser among older family members. It really tastes like it was purchased from an Asian bakery. I just switch out the fruit for a whole new flavour (think strawberries or even chestnut paste for a truly Asian bakery-style cake).
• Cherry Galette - Galettes are the number one dessert that my husband requests from me. We're obsessed with the ultra-crispy galette dough that is my go-to recipe for any galette or pie. I'll switch up the fruit filling depending on the season (apples! blueberries! peaches!) but the dough always stays the same.

Random facts about me

• My Myers-Briggs personality type is INTP and I'm an Enneagram 5w4. I'm an Aries and a Ravenclaw.
• I have a BSc in Biology with a concentration in Cell Biology & Physiology.
• My favourite animals are rabbits, whales, and sloths (in that order).
• If I could have any other job in the world, I'd probably be a wildlife photographer. Or just live in a cottage and bake cakes, to be honest.
• I'm a big bookworm. I love reading fantasy novels and literary fiction.
• My favourite foods are noodles, sushi, and bubble tea.
• I could sleep for 14 hours a day if I didn't have any life obligations.
• I've travelled to 25 countries so far. My favourites are Japan, Iceland, and South Africa.

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