Interview by Rosie Shepherd

This month, we interview Jen Lo, chocolate maker and owner of Meltdown Artisan. We chat about two major transitions she’s had in her life - her big career change and her recent home and business relocation to the Blue Mountains.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

I migrated to Australia from England with my family at the age of 5, though my heritage is Chinese Malaysian—which I guess has fostered a love of delicious food in me from a very young age. After living in Japan and the USA for a few years (following my Dad’s job as a satellite engineer), we ended up back in Australia, living on the Upper North Shore of Sydney where I’ve lived for most of my life.

After a number of years working in the design industry, I decided that sitting at a desk just wasn’t for me and I ended up following the love I had for baking. It very much felt like losing a little part of my identity—but I persisted on, and in 2015 I started my first business, Bakedown Cakery. For those four years, I focused mainly on making cakes for milestone events and had the chance to travel internationally to teach, and work on some amazing brand collaborations. There was a little bit of chocolate peppered in there too, but with much less of an emphasis on the ethics around sustainability and sourcing. At the end of 2019, I rebranded to Meltdown Artisan to focus solely on trying to make positive ethical change in the chocolate industry.

Why did you decide to relocate from Sydney to the Blue Mountains?

After living in St Leonards for over 8 years, opening a shop in Crows Nest, relocating to a new shopfront in Darlinghurst at the height of COVID and being diagnosed with endometriosis, I’d been running at full speed for much longer than anyone should. A large part of the move to the mountains was a conscious decision by my husband, Nick, and I to slow the pace and focus on health and aspire to a more ‘balanced’ lifestyle.

How did you discover your love of chocolate?

I don’t think I really knew chocolate until 5 years ago. I remember the first bar of craft chocolate I ate in 2011—I hated it. It had ‘weird’ notes of fruit, and tobacco…and almonds! What!? Flavours that I hadn’t come to associate with your generic supermarket block of chocolate, often made with over roasted bulk cacao, masked with sugar and milk powder. The more I delved into single origin and small batch craft chocolate, the more my palate grew accustomed to what chocolate should be. Unique, like a fine wine or coffee, with flavour notes harking back to chocolate's origin as a fruit—it’s terroir, respect in process and quality. And the love grew from there.

Where do you find inspiration for your chocolate? The flavours are so unique!

I think this comes from my experiences around the world—growing up as an international kid during my formative years exposed me to experiences and cultures that really piqued my interest in all of the different and amazing things that are out there. Inspiration usually starts with an ingredient—I actively try to find things that I’ve not used or seen before, so that I can challenge myself and push the boundaries of what people would normally consider an ‘acceptable’ pairing with chocolate.

Have you found any new inspiration since you’ve moved to the mountains?

It’s been really inspirational to just take a moment to look up at the sky or watch the leaves rustle in the wind. From a personal perspective, it’s been the gentle push that I needed from the Universe to remember to breathe and take it slow. Also having so many amazing producers of ingredients so local to us has given me a lot of inspiration for future collaborations. Watch this space!

How have you found the transition from being in the City to moving to the Blue Mountains?

I’d love to say that it’s been easy, but it’s actually been really hard! Not in the sense of community—that in itself has been incredibly surprising, how quickly we’ve been able to settle down and make connections has been really wonderful. For me, the mental switch and the slowing of pace has been the challenge…but I think the slow unwind will come with time!

Any wise words for someone who's considering making a move to the Blue Mountains?

It definitely feels like a giant leap to relocate from the centre of the city to somewhere further out, but once you’re here you won’t look back. I think there is definitely something to be said about being closer to nature and having more open air and space around you.

What's been your favourite 'find' (restaurant/cafe, producer, etc.) in the mountains so far?

The most surprising ‘find’ for us, was probably very early on when we were told by a family friend about a Malaysian restaurant, called Unique Patisserie in Katoomba. It fronts as a cake and pie shop but also serves Malaysian fare like rendang, laksa and char kway teow! Apparently, I hear, the pies are also very good!

Where can we find out more about you?

You can find me on Insta @meltdownartisan or head to www.meltdownartisan.com!

Interview: Jen Lo