武子靖不斷研發新的麵包製作技術 Wu Zih-jing works hard to Perfect bread-making skills.

"I never truly appreciated baguettes until I traveled to France and had an authentic French baguette for the first time in my life," says Mr. Wu Zih-jing, owner and chief baker of Shakespeare & Co. Since then, Mr. Wu has worked hard to perfect his bread-making skills, finally mastering techniques that have allowed him to duplicate the authentic baguettes he had in France that had such an impact on him years ago. His bakery attracts many European customers; a French customer once told him he offers "a taste of home."

Mr. Wu was still a graduate student in National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism when he realized his dream and opened Shakespeare & Co. in 2010. At first, many people in the business doubted that a European-style bakery could survive in Kaohsiung. However, Mr. Wu proved them wrong. He now has four stores in different parts of Kaohsiung, showing that his dream has staying power. His fifth store is set to open in Chiayi County in November.

Mr. Wu is not only a successful businessman; his baking skills have won him awards in several international competitions. In 2011, Mr. Wu developed a recipe for bread using honey produced in Kaohsiung's Gangshan District. The result is a sweetbread with a distinctive hollow structure that resembles a hive. Mr. Wu named it "Beehive Bread" and it won the sweet pastries category at the World of Bread (Mondial du Pain) competition in France. But when asked what he considers a defining moment of his career, he says it was the winning of first place in the National Artisanal Skills Competition in 2006, while he was a college sophomore. After that win, he was invited to join the national team for the International Technological and Vocational Competition in 2007, and that's when his interest in bread making started to "rise." During the latter contest, he met many people who shared his passion; he was able to discuss various issues and find solutions with like-minded peers. He learned many things about dough and bread making, and made friends among some of the top bakers in the world, whose passion and professionalism earned his respect.

Mr. Wu says among his class of 47 students, he is the only one who has opened a bakery. He spoke at length with veteran bakers when he was in school, and concluded that if he followed the traditional route to work for his "seed money" to open a bakery, he would have to work for more than 10 years to accumulate enough cash. By that time, he would be in his late thirties or early forties, likely married with children and perhaps paying a mortgage. Many bakers never open their own shop because by the time they can afford it, they already have too much to lose and they cannot take the risk. Mr. Wu decided to break away from that pattern. If he had to fall, it might as well happen when he had just started climbing and was not too far from the ground. By taking a risk early on, his rewards also came early. Today, at the age of 26, he owns his dream bakery and has more than 50 employees. He admits that while his dream has been realized, much still needs to be done for the bakery to be profitable. Mr. Wu wants his kitchens to be bright, clean and spacious. He would like to encourage each baker he hires to hone his or her skills; his ideal is to groom each one into an innovative baking artisan capable of inventing new recipes. Mr. Wu now devotes much of his time to recipe development; his mind constantly revolves around new ideas, even when he is not testing them out in the kitchen. Because he and his partners agree that a baker can grow only when he or she is exposed to new techniques and new possibilities, Shakespeare & Co. sometimes sponsor employees' overseas trips.

蜂巢麵包 Beehive Breads

By all accounts, Mr. Wu is already one of the best bread bakers in Taiwan, but he has not let success go to his head. He humbly claims he still has a long way to go before he can be called a top baker. Still, the fact he had the courage to take a chance and open the bakery of his dreams - and by so doing allow those who have a similar vision to share in that dream - is worthy of great respect.

Shakespeare & Co.

07-5867256
No.51, Meishu E. 2nd Rd., Kaohsiung City

夢想「發酵」 麵包師傅 武子靖

【文／侯雅婷；攝影／鮑忠暉】

「第一次在法國品嚐到法國麵包，有種恍然大悟的感動，才明白道地的法國麵包是這個味道和口感！店裡販售的法國麵包很道地的還原在法國吃到的口感、味道乃至於外觀，法國籍的顧客曾表示，有回到家的感覺！」麵包師傅武子靖如此說。

2010年，武子靖在高雄餐旅大學讀研究所時首次創業，開設「莎士比亞烘焙坊」，一圓開一間歐式麵包專門店的創業夢。開幕之初，許多烘焙界的前輩對純歐式的麵包店能否在高雄生存感到懷疑，但2012年烘焙坊在高雄已有4家店，成功在高雄站穩一席之地；今年11月，第5家烘焙坊將於嘉義開幕。

莎士比亞烘焙坊 Shakespeare & Company.

武子靖在國際烘焙大賽屢獲佳績，2011 年他以高雄大崗山地區生產的蜂蜜研發成蜂巢麵包，獲得法國世界麵包大賽甜麵包特別獎。談起影響他最深的一個獎項，是大二那年(2006年)獲得全國技能競賽獎第一名，成為2007年烘焙組國手，取得代表台灣參加國際技職競賽資格，他對製作麵包的興趣開始「發酵」！談起準備比賽的過程中，全心投入研究和解決問題，這讓他對麵糰和製作麵包有更透澈的了解，也認識烘焙界頂尖的師傅，學習他們專業的態度與熱情。

現年26歲的武子靖提起，他是餐飲大學全班47個人中，唯一開店創業的人。在與許多麵包店老闆懇談後，得到一個結論，如果等到中年存到足夠資金才開店，屆時肩負家庭經濟壓力，如同只許成不能敗的賭注，讓他興起跌倒趁早，提早實踐自己和夥伴理想中的歐式麵包烘焙坊，這個決定讓他成為50位員工的老闆。他說以開店實踐夢想而言，他們做得很好，如果以追求獲利而言，他們還要多加油。武子靖表示，烘焙坊將獲利投入創造出明亮、乾淨的廚房工作場域，且訓練麵包師傅具備研發能力，而他只要有空，就會研發新產品，即便沒辦法立刻動手做，想法也不斷在腦中運轉，而武子靖和合夥人都認同多出去看一看，才能使製作麵包的路，走得長而遠，因此，烘焙坊提供員工出國觀摩學習的機會。

眼前這位台灣最具潛力的麵包師傅，仍孜孜不倦地學習，謙稱自己離最頂尖的麵包師傅還遠，但勇於實踐開店夢想，讓與他一樣對製作麵包懷抱熱情的員工有了發揮的舞台，開創出一片事業。

莎士比亞烘焙坊

07-5867256
高雄市美術東二路51號