Meet Fred Chang | R&D Pastry Cook and Area Director of Revenue Management

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fred Chang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fred, how do you define success?
For me, success is defined by happiness. I love to bake and create beautiful or whimsical desserts, so being able to do that, while also keeping a roof over my head is how I define being successful in life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
So I live a very split life. I divide my time between being an Area Director of Revenue Management for two hotels in Southern California and also creating desserts and food-related content on social media. For me, it’s all about being a great multitasker, and making time for both your work and for the things you love to do or make you happy. It was not easy to get to where I am now. In fact, 5 years ago, I was an unemployed college graduate, coming off of a really traumatic experience involving getting bullied for being gay, and I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life. But I kept at it on both my social media content and my professional career, because I wanted to pursue both and in equal facets. What I found over the past 5 years was that you cannot let others define your worth for you. I worked hard to get to my professional career, but also to amass my social media following. I continue to put in the work in both outlets because it brings me happiness in different ways. I staged and worked for some of the best pastry chefs in America while also continuing my revenue management career in the hotel industry, and found happiness, therefore success, for myself!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely take them to Izakaya Hachi and Kansha Creamery in the Torrance area, while also going to either Pizzeria Mozza or Marugame Monzo in LA proper if they are in the city, with Fugetsu-do for some of the best mochi in their lives. Hiking is a definite must too, and going to either Point Dume in Malibu or Del Cero Park in Palos Verdes for scenic views of the beach. All of those are things I personally enjoy doing when I’m not working or developing/photographing my desserts!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give my shoutout to Shari Mukherjee @spicedupmom! She’s so talented and she pushes me to try my best when it comes to desserts!

Website: Freddysharajuku.com

Instagram: @fredfredchangchang