Co-founder of popular Katong cake shop Dona Manis dies at 93

SINGAPORE – One of the founders of cake shop Dona Manis, Mr Tan Tieow Teong, has died. He was 93.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Dona Manis said Mr Tan died on Friday. It did not specify the cause of death.

Mr Tan was a well-known and humble boss who took the bus to work till he was 90, the post said.

Located in the basement of Katong Shopping Centre for more than 30 years, Dona Manis Cake Shop is known for its banana pies, chocolate tarts and other pastries.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Mr Tan’s first daughter Esther Tan, 69, and third daughter Sharon Tan, 66, shared fond memories of their late father. They have four other siblings.

Dona Manis was set up in 1995 after Mr Tan, who was 65 then, partnered with former five-star hotel pastry staff Soh Tho Lang.

His daughters described their father as someone who was “kind, always learning, and who always looked out for his customers”.

“Even though my father had no formal education, he... loved to read books and newspapers after teaching himself to do so,” said Ms Sharon Tan.

Ms Esther Tan now co-owns Dona Manis with Ms Soh.

The older Ms Tan said: “We are leaving it to the next generation to decide if they wish to continue the legacy, but are also open to selling the business to those who are passionate to continue the heritage recipe.”

Tributes also poured in on Facebook from people who grew up with Mr Tan’s pastries.

Mr Don Leow, in a comment under Dona Manis’ post, remembers the late Mr Tan’s kindness to him as a teenager, and how Mr Tan would give him pastries.

Other commenters said they knew Mr Tan as a kind and friendly man whose recipes and baked items were “second to none”.

Ms Tiffany Chok, a 31-year-old executive administrator, told ST that she has frequented Dona Manis since she was 18 and would pop by after her church services on Sunday for its chocolate tarts and banana pies.

“I enjoyed the random conversations with Mr Tan and the other aunties there, and always admired how they had the strength to carry on doing this despite their age,” Ms Chok said, adding that her fondest memory of the bakery is the smell of banana pie wafting through the basement of the shopping centre.

Ms Claire Ariela Shen, Mr Tan’s granddaughter, said she never had to pay for a single box of pastries, as it was his way of showing his grandchildren love.

“He would always ask ‘Would you like a chocolate tart?’ when we came by the shop, and often insisted on giving us a box to share with our friends,” Ms Tan, 40, said.

She fondly remembers a day when he was in poor spirits, but she started a conversation about business that immediately perked him up.

“He spoke about business so passionately,” she said. “He had so much wisdom to share.”

She added that one of the last lessons to her was the importance of resilience as an entrepreneur.

“I wish we had more time together,” she said.