Our Instructors
Baron Hau, Founding Chef Instructor
Baron is classically French trained in cuisine and pastry from the renowned Le Cordon Bleu before he paved his path under the guidance of chefs coming from Michelin star restaurants and MOFs. A pastry lover himself, Baron’s culinary training also empowers him in the realm of gustatory and olfactory explorations beyond ordinary sweetness.
While food is the overarching theme throughout Baron’s career, his gastronomic journey started young. When he had to live by himself as a teenager, he took the opportunity and exposed himself to new ideas by frequently dining out. Hunger for knowledge persisted, so travels, experimentations and keen reading fed his curiosity. In retrospect, the technical acuity and investigative mind were what brought him to his current venture.
Attending trade shows every year to keep global trends abreast, he also strives to bring in the newest concepts, tools, and ingredients to create and let create tasteful results. He believes that connecting people's love of food will make the world a better place.
Linh Vu
Linh is a savoury artist who focuses on the science and flavours of the dishes he curates. Working in the restaurant industry for years has heightened his expectations for quality and customer service. Starting at the age of 13, Linh developed into a vineyard manager who created and nurtured fields of grapes for winemaking. Although mostly self-taught, Linh has worked alongside several mentors and head chefs that helped to mould his current philosophy of cooking.
Starting 2017, Linh began his own venture called Sumeshi, which was well received by digital media through summer night markets. At Gusta, Linh focuses on a similar concept where eating and enjoying food is an experience in itself.
Cathy Lei
Cake decorating had always been a passion for Cathy Lei, who has worked in cake decorating for more than a decade. Her wedding cakes imbue a classy vintage style, and her design reflects her acuity in adjusting the perfect colours.
Keeping up at decorators' front, she endeavoured to South Korea to train her Korean buttercream piping techniques with renowned Korean buttercream artist and educator Kim&Cake professionally. As a certified instructor, she has been teaching the trending techniques in her boutique and at Gusta Cooking Studio receiving excellent feedbacks.
Olivia Yang
After graduating from U of T, Olivia decided to follow her passion and strived to build a career in cake designing and decorating. She has learned from the master, Maggie Austin, herself, and has also participated twice in the largest international cake decorating competition, Cake International, winning Silver in the Small Decorative Exhibit category in 2017 and Gold in the Wedding Cake category in 2018.
Specializing in sugar flower and figurine making, Olivia has mastered a variety of skills and techniques that allows her to create a dynamic range of styles in her wedding cakes, as well as, birthday/occasion cakes.
Ella Kuen
Culinary education and the life of Ella are inseparable. For decades, from the very beginning when learning to cook for a big family was a necessity, Ella has been learning about cuisine in a vast array of institutions. When necessity turned interest, she regarded herself a committed student where studies of cooking and baking are lifelong subjects.
Initially, in the bygone opportunities when Ella had her training under retired Cantonese masters from Hong Kong's renowned Luk Yu Tea House, Yung Kee Restaurant, and Pat Chun Fine Foods, she has often been regarded as the principal disciple thanks to her helpful and hardworking attitude. Such perseverance in turn earned her the trust and the most coveted tricks and secrets shared only to her by these masters.
Travelling and living between Toronto and Hong Kong, Ella spends most of her days testing and developing recipes, while constantly attending new classes for inspiration. Always bright and cheerful, she shares her priceless knowledge with students at Gusta in our Dim Sum & Buns classes along with much laughter.
Nicholas Ho
Nicholas has always strived for creative freedom and artistic expression in his work. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Music in the UK, he continued his path and discovered that his true passion was in food. He decided to go back to his studies, this time through a culinary program in Toronto.
Nicholas went on to work in various culinary settings but he ultimately wanted to combine his love for food with art. As a musician and artist, his eye for intricacy stirred him towards the chocolate world, a world where beauty and delicacy meet. He is now a full-time chocolatier and continues to master his skills and unleash his creativity. His work involves creating and developing seasonal flavours and products at Chocolat de Kat as well as for corporate clients. Through his work, he hopes to incorporate his ideas and representation into his favourite treat.
Duoduo
Duoduo is a passionate cake decorator who began her journey with Opera, her pastry shop in North York, in 2013. After concluding this venture, she deepened her expertise by working at various bakeries, from local establishments to chain operations, before launching her own business in 2019.
Over the past two years, Duoduo has specialized in creating stunning microlandscape cakes, crafting detailed edible art from volcano scenes to snow-capped mountains. Drawing inspiration from the majestic landscapes of Banff and the whimsical worlds of Studio Ghibli, her work reflects both technical precision and creative vision.
Known for her ambitious nature, Duoduo consistently pushes herself to master new techniques and embrace creative challenges, bringing both expertise and enthusiasm to her role as an instructor.
Previous Guest Instructors
In our humble studio, we have had the honour of inviting individuals with extraordinary skills -- cake decorators, chefs, patissiers -- to inspire us with their passion and share their immense knowledge.
