Discover HKBU
Eat, bake, love
30 Sep 2025
Jenny Chow, a second-year Business Administration student, may be the only entrepreneur on campus who is more likely to knead dough than develop AI-powered tools for her business. Driven by a passion for baking and the wish to contribute to the community, she is on track to realise her goal of running a social enterprise that could help build a more inclusive society.
“Our social enterprise, Small Potato BIG Dream, aspires to empower people with Special Education Needs (SEN) by equipping them with culinary and transferable soft skills,” Jenny says. Through a training café model, Small Potato BIG Dream aims to provide tailored baking classes and workshops to high-functioning individuals with ADHD, autism and dyslexia. By enhancing SEN learners’ workplace soft skills such as communication and teamwork, alongside technical baking skills, Jenny hopes to address the employment gap faced by these individuals.
Finding joy in baking
Jenny was diagnosed with dyslexia from a young age, and while she struggled academically, she found her talent outside of the traditional classroom. When she was young, she first baked together with her mum, who taught her basic baking techniques. To satisfy her sweet tooth, she started baking on her own and soon fell in love with the process of transforming simple ingredients into tasty treats. But to her, baking is more than just a simple hobby.
“Baking is a rewarding experience as it results in delicious products. It also allows me to be creative and experiment with different flavours, giving me a boost in confidence and a sense of accomplishment,” says Jenny.
She is also drawn to the social aspect of baking. “What I most love about baking is the joy it brings to people. I love seeing how good food can bring smiles to people’s faces. Baking not only makes me happy, but also makes those who enjoy the food happy. This gives me the motivation to keep baking and sharing my baked goods with others,” she says.
Happiness shared is happiness doubled indeed. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Secondary Three, she baked a large number of mooncakes singlehandedly for her family, friends and classmates. She also became the chairperson of the school’s Home Economics club and organised numerous baking workshops at school and at community centres, where she gained valuable event planning and leadership skills.
Baking as a platform for change
When she was a senior secondary student, Jenny elevated her baking endeavours from an occasional pastime to something more serious. She honed her baking skills by studying Western cuisines as her senior secondary elective subject. In 2023 and 2025, she participated in the WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition, and both times she was named one of the winners in the Bakery category.
These achievements inspired Jenny to think what more she can do to spread joy and kindness through baking. She then conceived the idea of setting up a social enterprise that can make a positive impact by running baking classes and workshops and enhancing the participants’ soft skills .
“I believe many SEN individuals have unique talents and capabilities, however they may lack the essential soft skills that would enable them to thrive in the workplace. As a person with SEN myself, I hope to be able to empower this community,” she says.
A budding entrepreneur
At HKBU, she has enthusiastically sought opportunities to turn her vision into reality by taking part in various entrepreneurial activities organised by the University’s Career Centre and Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre. Her innovative approach and well-defined strategies have earned her the winning title at competitions including Start-up Saturday, A Night for Failure 2025 and more recently, the annual Dean's Cup Business Innovation Gymnasium organised by the School of Business.
Jenny credits her success to HKBU’s entrepreneurship education and the support she has received along the way. “Joining the competitions has enabled me to gain practical skills to kickstart my entrepreneurial journey. These events provided participants with mentorships and workshops that help us refine our business pitches. They also challenged me to develop a thorough business plan that is feasible and sustainable,” she says.
This May, Jenny and her business partner have officially launched Small Potato BIG Dream. One of their first initiatives is to host a mooncake making workshop for SEN individuals, and they are working towards a long-term goal of running a training café.
These days, when Jenny isn’t baking, much of her time is spent studying and working on ideas for Small Potato BIG Dream. Her ultimate dream is to spread joy through baking. “My favourite part about running my business is that I get to teach people how to bake. In a workshop, I see the participants learning new skills, meeting new friends, and getting to share their baked goods with their family and friends – this is happinesses tripled!” Jenny says with a laugh.