denise & ming

Born in Penang, Malaysia, childhood friends Denise and Ming have been friends for over 21 years. During their school years, Denise and Ming dreamed of being the best bakers, and hoped to start their own food business one day. As they got older, Denise followed this passion and pursued a degree in Culinary Arts Management. She worked in hospitality for over 12 years across the world in Malaysia, UK, USA, Singapore and more. But Ming went down a different route, pursuing a degree in Accounting and Finance. He worked in the finance industry for awhile but always felt something was missing.

Denise and Ming reconnected when Denise moved to New Zealand in 2021. Their conversations took them back to their school days, reminiscing about their childhood dreams and their love of food. These conversations reignited their desire to start their own business and from this, My Creations was born.

My Creations is a business passionate about bringing fusion flavours to Aucklanders through a variety of buns. Denise and Ming’s love of freshly baked buns started from their childhood, when after school their parents would take them ‘bakery hopping’ to choose a bun as their after-school snack. Denise and Ming want to share this experience with all Aucklanders through their unique flavoured buns, such as their best-selling Onde onde bun, a pandan bun filled with a traditional onde onde kuih (a Malaysian bite sized dessert similar to a mochi). They also have a coffee custard bun, a cinnamon bun and their savoury options, the breakfast roll, with ham and creamy egg and their recent addition, a potato bun, filled with mashed spiced potatoes wrapped in pork ham.

“Bread and buns are a staple in Malaysian culture. They’re normally found in many lunchboxes, eaten as snacks or even a meal in Malaysia. They are considered a great and affordable “pick me up” snack for people who are in a rush or would like to indulge.”

Denise and Ming heard about The Kitchen Project through one of their relatives and thought it was a great fit as they were wanting to learn the basics of how to run a food business and know more about the food industry. “The main highlights for us are to be able to work with different businesses and with other foodies to share knowledge with one another and to overcome any business roadblocks. The Kitchen Project has also made us more aware as to how an idea can be able to turn into a sustainable business.”

In the next 5 years, Denise and Ming hope to have their own My Creations retail shop sharing the flavours of Asia with their customers, and being the first choice in their neighborhood for baked goods!

Currently you can order My Creations buns online via Instagram and Facebook. They plan to have their website up and running soon and their shop in the future.