Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province Photo: VCG

"Hello! A meat patty." "Enjoy your meal." On a street in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, the chatter of diners and the welcoming greetings of a shop owner drift out from a restaurant decorated with wood elements. Along with the voices comes the aroma of food, carrying a slightly unusual note. Upon entering, visitors immediately feel at ease in the warm, bright setting. Yet perhaps the most surprising sight is the "waiter" who weaves between the tables. He wears a chef's uniform, with a foreign face but speaking fluent Chinese. 

This is a French bakery café called À Table, and the "waiter" is Vincent Aguesse, the store's founder from France. "Our shop's name is À Table, which means 'come to eat, food is served,'" Aguesse told the Global Times. "'À Table' is a name very much used in France, especially at home. So back home when it's about lunch or dinner time, parents will always call with this name À Table. We want to give Chinese customers this cultural perspective." 

Eleven years ago, Aguesse came to Kunming with his wife. As a passionate food lover, he enjoys exploring new dishes and culinary techniques. And the city known as the "Spring City" welcomed him with its distinctive and abundant ingredients. "In Yunnan, we are really blessed with the amount of fruits and vegetables, all year round we can have pretty much anything we want," Aguesse said. 

After having gained several years of baking experience in Kunming and having become familiar with local ingredients and spices, he developed a pretzel filled with dried radish and fermented bean curd, combining the crispness of pickled radish with the twisted bread. The creation has received praise from many customers. "I think mix between Western culture and Chinese local ingredients is the way to get more market share, get more business," he said,

Vincent Aguesse Photo: Courtesy of Vincent Aguesse

At the end of 2022, Aguesse received his Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card of China, also fondly known as the Chinese "green card." He said excitedly that it allows him to make longer-term life plans and truly put down roots in China. Aguesse told the Global Times that he hopes to set up an apprenticeship school in Kunming to train bakers and for them to find jobs all over China.

"I really feel now part of the city, and well accepted among the Kunming people. So I have this sense of belonging here, which I think is very important for someone who migrates," Aguesse said.

From first arriving in Kunming to running his own café, Aguesse feels fortunate about his entrepreneurial journey in China. "We've been very lucky because the [Chinese] government has been quite helpful, especially promoting this Western food culture," Aguesse told the Global Times. "We attended all of these [promotional] events.". 

"If I have any friends coming to China who wants to do business, I would tell them to come and just analyze by themselves. They don't really need to listen to or read other foreign news. They can just come and enjoy their time for a few weeks with the free visa application, just to realize what China is and what China has become," Aguesse said. 

"It's very critical that what China is doing is for the benefit of its people and to foster this business opportunity," He told the Global Times with certainty, "China is the place to be. I don't want to consider another country."