You may soon know Jeanette Aw better as a baker and business owner than as an actress.

The 41-year-old uploaded a cryptic post to Instagram on Feb. 18, to share "the good news of getting the keys to [her] dream."

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But her followers knew what was up: one of them guessed in the comments section that Aw is opening a patisserie of her own, to which the actress replied, "🤓 That’s a smart guess! 👩🏻‍🍳"

Friends of Aw have also flooded her with congratulatory notes on her upcoming shop.

Takeaway concept

Speaking to Mothership, Aw said that she is unable to reveal the shop's location at the moment, as she hopes for renovations to proceed with minimal interruptions.

If you're wondering if her shop will be at Robertson Quay because of the Instagram photo, the answer is "Nope!", as evidenced by the celeb's reply to another follower.

She did tell us that it was going to be a takeaway concept, though, as that has always been the idea for her.

The Covid-19 pandemic has helped to reinforce the idea too, and Aw may even set pick-up timings to prevent overcrowding.

Not working with partners

Aw also disclosed that she is not working with any partners for her patisserie.

"I think when it comes to creative execution I do not want to be caught in any kind of conflict. I have very strong ideas on what I want and do not want. I will be building a team over time of course."

She added that 2021 will be "a year of transition" for her, as she plans to complete any ongoing projects and move into her patisserie business full time, something that she looks forward to.

When asked about how much she has invested so far, Aw did not give a figure, but said that setting up the kitchen alone is already "quite an investment."

And it seems like visitors can expect a pretty unique space for the amount Aw is pumping into the venture:

"I’m also working with an ID for my shopfront and he does pretty niche work, so it’s pretty costly as well. There are some other elements in the shop that will also require special fabrication."

Serendipitous encounter

In the past year, Aw has become increasingly known for her baked goods. Fans would also know that she has attended famed culinary school Le Cordon Bleu.

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But the idea of having her own patisserie goes way back:

"Let’s just say I’ve always had that thought (of starting her own shop). I enjoy baking, it’s like being in my own playground creating things that bring joy to others."

The task of searching for a location became a "more serious endeavour" in 2020, when Aw decided that she's had enough of home baking.

"I think home is a place of rest and I didn’t like how my home started looking like a warehouse when baking supplies arrived," she said. 

Everything fell in place when one day, her property agent bought her to a viewing.

Aw didn't really like the unit, and took a walk around the area instead. That was when she found a brand new space that she really liked the feel of.

After the requisite admin work, Aw has officially turned her dream into brick and mortar.

"I have always believed in the universe conspiring to bring you closer to where your heart wants to be, and I guess this just happened and the timing was right."

Top image via Jeanette Aw's Instagram page