Natalie Lau: The 20-Year-Old Culinary Genius Reinventing Hong Kong's Street Food Scene

Picture biting into a golden, crispy bubble that marries the buttery crunch of a pineapple bun with the airy lightness of an egg waffle, crafted by a then 19-year-old wunderkind in a Sheung Wan café. That's the magic Natalie Lau has unleashed with her Pineapple Bun Egg Waffle, a creation that has turned Chicken Egg Boy into the talk of the town.

Launched under the Xu Shan Charitable Foundation, this fusion of local tastes is a tasty reflection of Natalie's unyielding spirit, infusing science, resilience, and Hong Kong's culinary heritage into every bite. For those craving a taste of inspiration, her journey showcases how passion can reshape the world, proving that age is no barrier to shaking up the world.

A Foundation in Creativity and Science

As the Creative and Brand Director at Chicken Egg Boy Café, Natalie isn't your typical teen entrepreneur. At 20, she's already carved a niche that combines her love for science with a modern interpretation that fuses two Hong Kong classics into one innovative treat.

Natalie's journey began early, marked by a bold decision at 15 to swap a rigorous British international school for online homeschooling. This choice, met with skepticism by many, immersed her in a global, multicultural learning environment that celebrated diverse perspectives. "This environment subconsciously nurtured my confidence to think independently and embrace unconventional ideas, a mindset that has carried through all my pursuits," she reflects. The flipped learning model, where she engaged with materials independently before interactive lessons, instilled a deep appreciation for innovative approaches and self-directed exploration. This freedom allowed her to dive into hands-on biology, cementing her love for experimentation and problem-solving—skills that later fueled her culinary breakthroughs.

Turning OCD into Opportunity

In 2024, Natalie's scientific journey hit an unexpected roadblock when severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) led to hospitalization, putting a stop to her formal lab work. Undeterred, she reimagined her kitchen into a laboratory, using everyday ingredients like sugar, water, and flour to practice precision techniques such as pipetting and measuring. "I discovered that cooking offered a powerful analog to scientific experimentation, fulfilling my scientific curiosity," she explains. This pivot followed the full scientific method: observing inconsistent textures, hypothesizing that cornstarch would increase crispiness, conducting controlled tests by varying the cornstarch-to-flour ratio, and documenting outcomes. The hardest part, she notes, wasn't perfecting it once, but "replicating success consistently." This resilience taught her a profound lesson: "Constraints breed creativity. My OCD didn't erase my love for experimentation; it simply redirected it, forcing me to ask: 'What can I learn here, now, with what I have?' Science isn't about where you work. It's about how you think."

Reinventing a Hong Kong Classic

Enter the Pineapple Bun Egg Waffle, inspired by a mission to preserve Hong Kong's iconic cultural heritage while supporting the Xu Shan Charitable Foundation. In an homage to Hong Kong's iconic pineapple bun and egg waffle, Natalie sought to reinvent traditional street snacks to stand out in a challenging economy, creating a treat that's innovative, visually appealing, and delicious yet manageable in cost, labor, and technical complexity. Each airy egg waffle bubble is topped with a miniature crispy pineapple bun crust, amplifying the best elements of both classics into "one irresistible bite." The process demanded months of meticulous experimentation, with a memorable challenge of perfecting the base waffle, which had to be slightly undercooked to finish baking under the pineapple crust without overbrowning or collapsing. By adjusting the flour-to-cornstarch ratio, fine-tuning leavening agents, and managing the Maillard reaction, she crafted a waffle where each bubble rose perfectly. "Understanding each component's role helped me craft a waffle where each bubble would rise even when slightly undercooked," she says.

A Culinary Phenomenon

The result? A viral phenomenon. Within a month, Instagram videos amassed millions of views, with queues stretching up to two hours outside Chicken Egg Boy. "Watching the pineapple bun egg waffle take off was surreal, but the real reward was seeing the joy it brought to people," Natalie shares. The conversations in line—grandparents sharing nostalgic bakery memories, kids buzzing with anticipation, and travelers excited to experience two Hong Kong classics in one bite—remind her how "food has the power to bring people together in the most wonderful ways." The hype transcended social media, with features in popular media outlets, and home chefs and restaurants from Singapore to the UK began replicating the dish. "Words cannot express how grateful I am to see our pineapple bun egg waffle resonate across the globe… a way to share Hong Kong's vibrant food culture with the world," she adds.

A Blend of Culture and Charity

As Creative and Brand Director, Natalie's vision extends beyond the kitchen. Chicken Egg Boy's proceeds support Hong Kong's underprivileged, a mission that shapes her work. The café's decor, featuring graffiti murals of Lion Rock and Victoria Peak by local artists with disabilities, celebrates the city's identity. "I wanted the brand to celebrate the city's unique identity by weaving local traditions into every aspect," she says, creating a space that "dissolves boundaries between street and café, creating a welcoming environment that feels familiar to all." This commitment to inclusivity and heritage transforms the café into a platform showcasing Hong Kong's creativity and community spirit.

Scaling Success

Scaling this success while maintaining quality mirrored her scientific approach. Natalie developed strict protocols across three stages: training the team to recognize the exact moment the undercooked waffle releases from the iron, using custom tools for uniform pineapple toppings, and monitoring oven temperatures for consistent bakes. "Just as in scientific research, reproducibility is everything—but with food, you must preserve the human touch," she notes.

Future Horizons

With Chicken Egg Boy's growing popularity, Natalie hints at exciting future projects, though she keeps details under wraps for now. For young girls facing skepticism, she offers wise advice: "Challenges are universal—so you might as well pursue what truly excites and fulfills you." While a 'traditional' path might feel secure, she says, it doesn't guarantee fulfillment. Meanwhile, the 'risky' path of passion, though uncertain, comes with hurdles that "actually mean something." She encourages asking, "If I'm going to face challenges either way, which ones will feel worth it?"

Personally, Natalie cherishes the social joy of her creation. "There's something special about sharing our pineapple bun egg waffle—it's designed to be a social experience," she says, recalling a customer who shared the last waffle with newcomers who missed out. She also highlights Hong Kong's food scene, where fusion cuisine "perfectly captures the essence of Hong Kong. As Asia's World City, Hong Kong thrives on its multicultural identity—and its food mirrors this global spirit." From Hong Kong-style French toast to the pineapple bun itself, these dishes reinvent Western flavors through a local lens in an ode to the city's inventive culinary heritage.

Natalie Lau's journey from a homeschooling teen to a culinary innovator proves that passion, paired with scientific rigor, can reshape traditions and inspire the entire world. At 20, she's not just feeding Hong Kong's appetite; she's feeding its soul, one bubble waffle at a time. Natalie's story is a reminder that innovation knows no age, urging us to embrace the unexpected and turn obstacles into opportunities.

For the latest updates, follow Chicken Egg Boy on Instagram or visit the café in Sheung Wan.