Lightning Puff – Éclairs by Wu are delicious artisan delights from Perth, Western Australia. They are the perfect dessert for special events, catered meetings, high-teas, weddings, birthday parties, classy hen's nights or just to enjoy with friends.
Who's baking?
Chen-wei Wu, aka Robert, is the brain, heart and soul behind Lightning Puff.
Robert was born in Taiwan and after spending ten years in the Taiwanese military, he needed a change of scene and to do something for himself. So in 2014 he moved to Australia to study to be a pastry chef. The soul of a baker was always within him just waiting for the right time to grow - this was his chance!
Robert lives with his partner, Scott, in Tuart Hill.
Why choux pastry?
After working for some of the best bakeries in Perth, Robert decided to go out on his own. He thought, “what would I want to do if I only had basic baking ingredients like water, butter, eggs and flour…” and the answer: Choux!
Choux pastry (or Pâte à Choux) has simple ingredients and methods but requires practice to get the most perfect results. Robert has worked on refining his own recipes, baking the perfect balance of soft and crisp pastry and developing unique flavour combinations along with classic favourites. All of this has resulted in truly special éclairs.
Why “Lightning Puff”?
There are a few different explanations of where the word éclair comes from so Robert picked the one he liked most. Éclair means flash of lighting in French because they are eaten so quickly – like a flash.
In Robert's home country of Taiwan, éclairs are called 閃電泡芙 which translates in English to lightning puff. This was the perfect name – it expresses traditional French technique with a modern twist.
Lightning Puff was born!