Loaf & Latté is a new on-campus commercial artisan bakery at Taylor’s Culinary Institute (TCI), designed to bridge classroom learning with real-world experience.
The bakery allows students to gain hands-on exposure to production, workflow planning, inventory management and customer service, all within a professional bakery environment.
Students participate in “Bakery Takeover Projects”, running Loaf & Latté for a day, a week, or longer, depending on their semester. They also have access to masterclasses and demonstrations led by Michelin-level pastry chefs and French bakery specialists. Paid internship opportunities are also available.
FMT Lifestyle joined a recent guided tour of the bakery led by chef Frederic Cerchi, head of school at TCI. The kitchen, which doubles as a training ground, features two large countertops, spiral mixers, dough sheeters, blast freezers, proofers, and a variety of ovens.
A glass panel allows visitors to watch students at work, from kneading dough to piping delicate pastries.
We participated in a brief pastry masterclass with Fleurine Synaeve, senior lecturer and head chef at Loaf & Latté, and Herman Wong, a gold medallist in baking and cooking at the WorldSkills Asean 2025 competition held in Manila, Philippines.
Wong demonstrated the process of making classic French baguettes, then let us try shaping and scoring the dough ourselves.
We also sampled his inventive creations, including Sarawak laksa sourdough – a nod to his hometown – and seaweed-flavoured bread. Synaeve demonstrated filling macarons with chocolate ganache, a deceptively tricky task that had everyone fumbling at first!
Behind the glass counter, the bakery café displays an array of French and Danish pastries such as croissants and pain suisse, as well as cakes and savoury treats, all made by trained chefs.
Loaf & Latté also offers a strong drinks menu, including two coffee blends sourced from Brazil and Kenya, plus matcha beverages. FMT Lifestyle tried the strawberry matcha, which hit just the right note of sweetness and creaminess.
While Loaf & Latté has a standard daily menu, what sets it apart is that items made by students are sold at discounted prices. “We do not like wastage, so if we’re closed the day after, we will sell all our items at 50% off towards the end of the day,” said project manager Stephane Yan.
He added that while the bakery is open to the public, its primary objective is to provide artisanal baked goods at affordable prices for Taylor’s University students. They also plan to start masterclasses for the public from next year.
“We are far more than an artisan bakery,” Cerchi added. “Our main priority is our students, and we have a clear academic objective. Loaf & Latté will help develop graduates who not only bake but can lead and sustain an F&B business.”
Meanwhile, looking to repeat the same success at the WorldSkills Competition, Wong said Loaf & Latté will also serve as a training ground for the event in Shanghai next year.
Follow Loaf and Latte on Instagram.
Loaf and Latte
Taylor’s Lakeside Campus,
1 Jalan Taylors,
47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
Business hours: 8.30am-5.30pm (Mondays to Fridays)