Woman who quit job to pursue teenage dream now proud owner of Oxley Rise cafe -- and she's not done
She quit her job and started selling bakes from home.
Now 34, Chloe Lee is the founder of Lilac Oak and has made her teenage dreams of starting a cafe come true.
"I've always liked baking, and it just so happened that my mom turned vegan because of religion," Chloe told Stomp.
"I had a full-time job and left for New Zealand for three months. During that time, I travelled and saw new things, and that's what made me decide that when I came back to Singapore, I didn't want to look for a job again."
Chloe wanted to start a lifestyle cafe and already knew the concept she wanted: fully vegan and minimalist.
But, she needed a starting point. So she opened a home-based cafe in 2019, dubbed Lilac Oak.
In July 2021, Chloe pivoted to a retail space in Oxley Rise, which she ran with the support of her family.
She recounted: "My aunt helped me for the first two years the shop was open. It was just the two of us working every day."
"On weekends, my sister was our part-time barista, while my mum would help wash the dishes and the toilet. My husband was also my sous-chef, so it felt like a kampong.
"Now, my three-year-old daughter loves coming here to interact and mimic me. While I was piping pastries, she would mimic me, so I decided to just teach her."
When asked what menu item is a must-try, Chloe said Lilac Oak's taro tarts are the top bestseller.
"A lot of people come here just to try our taro tarts."
Despite being a vegan cafe, not all of Lilac Oak's customers are vegan.
"We try to be as inclusive as we can, which includes being allium-free," Chloe told Stomp. "We don't use vanilla extract either, because it usually has alcohol in it."
"Parents who have kids that are allergic to eggs or lactose are very happy when they find out we have ice cream and waffles. When the children come, you can tell how happy they are that everything is safe for them to eat."
Sharing the future of Lilac Oak, Chloe said: "I hope to have another outlet or even just a kiosk to sell vegan food. It would be just one step closer to people who want to have vegan food more accessible to them.
"I've also always wanted a lifestyle cafe since I was in my teens, where you get to eat and shop all in one place, so I would like to expand a bit more in that aspect.
"Sometimes when we browse things, even if we don't buy them, we will still think about how they look so cute. And that adds to the whole experience."
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