Yet, one mother-daughter team is having a good ride, rolling with the punches and proving that giving each other space and respect is the formula for success.
Meet Doreen Thean, 57, the business owner of Hideaway, and Amanda Lam, 25, her dearest daughter and partner-in-crime who helps her run the café.
For nearly four years now, Hideaway has stood among the cluster of cafés that have sprouted up in Happy Mansion.
Known for her delicious butter cakes and motherly demeanour, Doreen runs the show here, and the cakes are her personal handiwork. But she’s not alone.
While Doreen is often out of sight baking pastries in the kitchen, Amanda is up front at the coffee bar, brewing cups of hot beverages for thirsty customers.
They run a tight ship, although Amanda insists it is Doreen who holds the café together.
Speaking with FMT, Doreen, a Peranakan chef at heart, said she has been baking tarts and pastries for as long as she can remember. Cakes were not her forte – until someone suggested she gave it a go.
“I did not know how to bake at all. I only knew how to cook,” Doreen recalled, although, given how presentable and delicious her cakes are today, you might think she’d taken baking lessons.
“There was lots of trial and error,” Amanda added good-naturedly.
Doreen shared that she learnt everything from online sources, picking up tips and tricks as she continued her experiments. After many attempts, she baked the perfect orange cake, which finally boosted her confidence in baking.
Later, Amanda joined her in the kitchen. “It was for fun. I was 14 back then. We experimented with different flavours. That’s how I got into it.”
For eight months straight, Doreen said, they baked marble, butter and orange cakes. “Then my daughter asked: ‘Why are you making the same cakes every day?’ That’s when we started making different ones.”
So, how did Hideaway come to be? According to Amanda, since most cafés sell cream cakes, they wanted to do something different such as specialising in butter cakes.
In October 2018, Hideaway, the product of three months’ hasty preparation, opened for business. They chose Happy Mansion for its quiet atmosphere and booming café scene.
“I make sure my cakes are always fresh, so I bake them every day. The butter cakes are kept for one day as they taste nicer then,” Doreen explained.
What is it like working with each other? “There are lots of ups and downs,” Doreen replied bluntly.
Amanda concurred. “Definitely. She’s like my boss.”
According to Doreen, even though Amanda is her daughter, she’s also an employee – so she enjoys no special privileges.
Working together, however, has allowed mum and daughter to appreciate each other more.
“She definitely is an organised person,” said Amanda. “She likes to plan everything beforehand – always with a Plan A, B and C.”
“She’s the opposite of me!” laughed Doreen. “She’s always like, ‘Chillax, mummy!’ She sometimes calls me ‘OCD’, too.”
Given their different approaches to work and life, clashes are common.
“When we get angry, we will just go out and eat,” Doreen said.
“Ice-cream solves everything,” Amanda added.
This partnership has been nothing short of fulfilling, so Amanda is sticking by Doreen’s side on Mother’s Day.
“For all the mothers out there,” said Doreen, “have lots of patience with your children. Our generation and their generation are different. So, learning to know each other is very important.”
Amanda agreed. “From my perspective, it’s a compromise that we have to learn. Compromise and patience.”
So, today, consider treating your dear old mum to Hideaway’s cakes and coffee to show your love and appreciation for her.
Hideaway
AG7, Block A, Happy Mansion
Jalan 17/13, Section 17
46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Operation hours: 11am-7pm (Thursday & Sunday), 11am-10pm (Friday & Saturday)
Closed on Mondays to Wednesdays
Contact: 013-7234438