Every journey across the globe shapes us in unexpected ways. For Blenheim resident Celia Chen, life has been a rich tapestry woven between Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia - a story of continuous growth, adaptability and discovering what it truly means to make a place feel like home.

Early Beginnings and Back-and-Forth Years

Celia's relationship with Aotearoa began in 1995, when she moved to Auckland as a seven-year-old. Arriving without knowing any English, she navigated the initial transition alongside her mother and brother.

Her family returned to Taiwan around 1999 for her intermediate school years - a shift that felt vastly different after her time in New Zealand. In 2007 she returned to New Zealand for college, before heading back to Taiwan once more to study graphic design and work in her uncle's real estate company.

A New Chapter: Study, Travel and Connection

By 2013, at age 26, the pull of New Zealand brought Celia back to study Tourism and Hospitality at university. Shortly after, she set off to Australia on a working holiday. Over two years she travelled through Queensland, New South Wales, Melbourne and Tasmania, taking on all kinds of roles - from farm work and sushi shops to a tomato factory and cherry picking.

Those working holiday years were full of life-changing moments. Not only did Celia gain a wealth of life experience, she also met her future husband, who is also Taiwanese.

Putting Down Roots in Marlborough

In 2016, Celia and her husband decided to return to New Zealand and settle in Blenheim. They married in 2017. While her husband found his path in Marlborough's renowned vineyard industry, Celia applied her background to the local hospitality and administration sectors, working in admin for eight years.

She never stopped learning along the way. Alongside her admin work, Celia completed the Accounting for Business Level 4 qualification through Open Polytechnic, a qualification that proved directly useful to her role.

Fifi's Sweet Treats: A New Chapter in the Kitchen

Never one to sit still, Celia took a buttercream cake decoration course while holidaying in Taiwan in 2023, learning a Korean-style piping technique used to craft delicate buttercream flowers, petal by petal. Today she runs an online order business, Fifi's Sweet Treats - named after her daughter's nickname, Fifi, who was the inspiration for the whole venture after a suggestion from her intermediate school.

Celia's cakes are Asian-style: a light and fluffy sponge, covered in whipped fresh cream, in whichever flavour a customer chooses. For a more distinctive finish, she pipes buttercream flowers petal by petal, using the Korean-style technique she learned on that trip home.

Find Fifi's Sweet Treats on Facebook and on Instagram at @fifilovecake.

Reflections on the Path Taken

Looking back at the contrasts along the way - living in caravan parks, navigating different lifestyles, and meeting all kinds of people - Celia reflects positively on every chapter.

She traces a clear thread through her working life: the office experience she gained in Taiwan helped her find a great job after moving to New Zealand. The hospitality knowledge she later learned at university, together with the qualifications she earned while working and studying, became the foundation for starting her own business.

Celia also knows what it feels like to leave everything familiar behind and start over in a new country. It took a while before she truly felt like she belonged and became part of the local community - which is part of why she values MMC's work so much.

It is precisely this open-minded, adventurous spirit, and her generosity in sharing her journey, that makes Celia such a vibrant member of our Marlborough multicultural community.