Meet Stephanie Cheung | Crepe Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Cheung and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
My dad. A great dad and a great entrepreneur. He taught himself truck mechanics at the age of 14 by reading books, and taking on a job as an assistant to truck drivers. He would hear a sound from a car or truck and knew straight away what engine, or any mechanical troubles that may come from that sound haha. He built his business from scratch, failed at some point, and rebuilt an even greater one. He always mentioned to me he felt very lonely. I didn’t understand it then as a young girl, but I think now I do. The journey of entrepreneurship can be quite lonesome.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Stephanie’s Crepes is a dedicated 100% gluten free boutique crepe shop. I chose to specialize in gluten free crepes because I noticed the rising numbers of gluten allergy amongst my friends, and their children. I started reading up on our food supply chains, some things have been altered over the years in order to meet the growing populations in this world. I am not sure if this is the cause of the rising food allergies, but it is interesting to see the rising numbers of people who are now sensitive and allergic to gluten. I also focus on offering organic fruits and vegetables, as well as proteins that is nitrate and nitrate free. My brisket is grass fed and grass finished beef. My smoothies are 100% frozen organic fruits. I use organic eggs for my eggs crepes and cage free eggs to make my gluten free crepe batter.

This is my second career. I changed my career when I turned 30. Prior to this I was in the natural fancy color diamond industry for 11 years. So I developed a liking to colors and details and I started to dabble a little into designs, sales, and marketing. I worked with a single company, I practically grew up with that one company.

When I turned 30, I decided I wanted to do something else with my life. And food has always been dear for me. My mother shared a story when I was a child about my grandfather – her father, who owned a bakery during World War II. At that time there were Japanese soldiers occupancy in Indonesia. They gathered all the men and put them to work. Some of them were killed. It was war so it was humans at their worst, unfortunately. And they spared my grandfather’s life because they loved his freshly baked bread. That story always stuck with me, even as a child. Because I just thought, “Everything else doesn’t matter. We have this pandemic or if there is some sort of armageddon. What do people need? The basic needs, right?” We are always told to strive and go for the doctors, lawyers, all of these big titles; but at the end of the day, a simple bread-making skills saved my grandfather’s life. And if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be here today. So that always stuck with me.

My family, we always gather once a week to share family dinner at different restaurants. So I have developed a liking to restaurants and food very early on. But at the time is was kind of frowned upon to do it [to own a restaurant] as a career. Because food back then was not food today, not as a business. So I knew when I changed my career I had to do something a little bit different in order to be able to support myself.

I went back to culinary school, I went to Institute of Culinary Education in New York. I studied French culinary and I took management as well because I’ve always known I wanted to own something. And for 10 years I worked every position from busser to prep cook to line cook to sous chef. Then I became a chef. Then I moved to the front to work as a server, assistant server, captain, manager. When I moved to Miami, I worked as a restaurant consultant for private owners of some very well known restaurants here. This experience helped me to get to know Miami through some of the projects I had with them while I was looking for a space.

How the crepes came about. When I finished my externship learning at different restaurants, I was invited to cook at the Cannes Film Festival. I traveled all around France and I saw there was a crepe culture – little crepe shops everywhere. In New York we have everything but we didn’t have that many crepe shops. And I’ve always wanted to make food that I feel is romantic. At first I thought about fondue, but then there was this big corporate chain called The Melting Pot. They were everywhere, so I thought, “I won’t be able to compete so let’s see what else”.

I started paying attention to crepes and then I traveled all throughout Asia. I saw there was also crepe culture in Japan in Harajuku they have crepe stations everywhere, in Taiwan and Indonesia too. I paid one of the workers to teach me how to crepe. I worked for them for free for a week. I actually paid them. They taught me how to do the round, how to do the batter, and I returned back to New York. For 6 months I worked on just recipe development.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When friends visit I always suggest that they explore the neighborhoods of Miami that define its true culture.

Coconut grove’s casual, bohemian and eclectic artistic ambiance is complemented with well curated shops and casual bars.

Coral gables elegance is embodied in the Biltmore hotel a great spot for late evening drinks and live jazz. Restaurants like Tur kitchen. Zitzsum, Lion &the rambler (near Stephanie’s crepes) are brilliant Chef driven restaurants that are tantalizing palates and source from local farms/artisans. Also one of the oldest bars, The Bar on Giralda is where all locals get late night drinks, Karaoke night there is a fun pass time.

Wynwood and the design district continually evolving vibe is well represented y the gallery/museums, classic restaurants like Michael’s Genuine, Leku, and the newly Michelin rated, Cote is not to miss.

Calle ocho is the heartbeat of Cuban culture. Cafe la Trova is much loved by locals and a good way to get visitors to have an authentic experience, and a quick stop for Tamales de Mais from El Atlacatl.

Nearby bustling Brikcell and downtown have hidden gems like Niu wine and kitchen, Jaguar, and Edge inside the Four seasons.

While I love Miami beach(Stephanie’s crepes in just opened near Lincoln rd) it’s Art Deco beauty, diversity across south, mid and north beach I always try to get friends to get a broader perspective this amazing city and take those experiences.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It takes a village! This couldn’t be anymore true. I want to make a shout out to every single team member past and present, who believed in me and my dream, even when I couldn’t pay them a living wage then, to a point that I am able to now. So many of them stuck by me day in and out, worked hard with an admirable sense of ownerships. I have young team members, high school students who impressed me with their ability to learn quickly and not afraid to roll up their sleeves to make beautiful delicious crepes, wash countless dishes, mop floors, stood out in the sun whenever we have live outdoor catering. My loyal customers, who continued to support my small crepe shop, brought their family, their friends, continued to tell others to come visit my shop. My very small circle of friends and family, who selflessly supported me in pursuing this dream, there when I needed a sounding board. My business colleagues, who looked out for me, the city worker, Mr. Julian Perez, who humbly came to help me get an approval for outdoor seatings during the pandemic, who continued to make sure I received every assistance available for restaurants during the pandemic to ensure my door remained open. I have been extremely blessed with everyone that have come into my life in this journey.

Website: www.stephaniescrepes.com

Instagram: @stephanies_crepes

Facebook: stephanies_crepes

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stephanies-crepes-coral-gables

Youtube: https://youtu.be/uKU-sUn_J7M