Who is Maria Lee, Hong Kong’s Queen of Cakes? ‘Extraordinary Life’ of Bakery Founder Told
December 26, 2024 | 1 min to read
Maria Lee, known as the “Queen of Cakes,” built a thriving bakery empire with her franchise, Maria’s, which once eclipsed rivals like Maxim’s Cakes in the 1980s. Despite the bakery’s eventual liquidation, the 95-year-old has left a lasting legacy in Hong Kong. Her life story, described by her biographer as complex, reflects resilience and a significant impact on the local culinary landscape, often remembered fondly by those over 40 in the city.
Maria Lee built a bakery empire, saw it go into liquidation, and moved on and up. Summing up her life was a challenge, her biographer says
There is no Wikipedia page in English about Maria Lee Tseng Chiu-kwan. But ask a Hongkonger over the age of 40 and chances are that many will know her name.
The 95-year-old “Queen of Cakes” was the owner and face of Maria’s, one of Hong Kong’s largest bakery franchises. The bakery had branches in Taiwan and the United States and, during the 1980s, was bigger than fellow rival Maxim’s Cakes.
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