By V. Sivaji
With the scorching heat nowadays, a scoop of refreshing gelato will surely go a long way. What more when you have some pastries to go with.
Meet Rachel Rajendran, an accountant turned entrepreneur. Despite being qualified as an accountant, she chose to follow her heart and opened a cake and pastry shop – “Hundred Grams ” located in the heart of George Town.
“Although I qualified as an accountant, my career took a different path, and I spent several years teaching Accounting and Mathematics. Teaching was something I truly enjoyed, but baking had always been my passion. Over time, I realised I wanted to build something of my own—something that would bring people together and create happy memories. That dream eventually became Hundred Grams.
“My vision was never to open just an ice cream shop. I wanted to create a dessert café where people could enjoy handcrafted desserts in a warm and welcoming environment. Besides our artisan gelato, we also serve freshly baked cakes, brownies and handcrafted beverages, offering customers a complete dessert experience.
“One of the highlights of our café is our Hungarian Chimney Cake—a traditional pastry that is freshly baked to order. It has a crispy caramelised exterior with a soft, fluffy centre and can be enjoyed on its own or paired with our artisan gelato. It has become one of our signature items and something many customers visit us specifically to try.
“Although I did not pursue accounting professionally, my education has certainly helped me manage the business—from costing and budgeting to planning for sustainable growth. Being able to combine my love for desserts with my knowledge in business has made this journey incredibly meaningful,” she told Penang Hyperlocal recently.
The self taught baker had spent hours researching and refining many recipes to refine her skills.
“Baking has always been something I genuinely enjoy, and I believe the best way to improve is through continuous learning and hands-on experience.
“For gelato, I first attended a local gelato-making course to learn the fundamentals. While it gave me a good foundation, I felt it wasn’t enough, as I wanted to understand the craft in greater depth. I then enrolled in an extensive online course conducted by an experienced Italian gelato chef, where I learned the science behind authentic gelato, including recipe balancing, ingredient selection, texture and flavour development.
“That experience greatly boosted my confidence and allowed me to create a wide variety of artisan gelato flavours with consistency and quality. Even today, I continue to learn, experiment and refine my recipes because I believe there is always something new to discover and improve,” she adds.
.Among her favourite items at her shop are their signature Hungarian Chimney Cakes paired with artisan gelato. The combination of a warm, freshly baked chimney cake with smooth artisan gelato creates a unique dessert experience that many of our customers love.
Other best-sellers for their gelato flavours are Pistachio, Coconut, Butterscotch and Caramelised Macadamia. Customers also enjoy creating their own combinations by pairing freshly baked chimney cones with their favourite gelato flavours.
Meanwhile, they currently have more than 50 artisan gelato flavours in our rotation and are constantly developing new flavours to expand their selection.
“Our wide menu includes favourites such as Pistachio, Coconut, Butterscotch, Caramelised Macadamia, Chocolate, Vanilla, Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Yuzu Yogurt, Mango, Strawberry, Matcha and many seasonal or limited-edition creations.
“We are fortunate to welcome both locals and tourists to our shop, being located in the heart of George Town, we receive many tourists who discover us while exploring Penang’s heritage streets. At the same time, we have built a loyal base of local customers who return regularly with their families and friends.
“Weekends are naturally our busiest, especially Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. Public holidays and school holidays also bring in many families and tourists. Besides serving customers in our café, we also cater for weddings, corporate events and private functions, allowing more people to enjoy our artisan gelato beyond the café itself,” says Rachel.
She also adds that Hundred Grams was built with one simple goal—to create handcrafted desserts that bring people together.
“I believe desserts are more than just food; they create moments, conversations and memories that people share with family and friends. We focus on quality ingredients, freshly baked chimney cakes and artisan gelato made with care and attention to detail. All of our ingredients are sourced from halal-certified suppliers, and we are currently in the process of obtaining Halal certification for our business.
“As a proudly Penang-born business, we are truly grateful for the support we have received from both locals and tourists, and we look forward to welcoming many more customers to experience what Hundred Grams has to offer, ” says Rachel.
Check out Hundred Grams located along Market Street. Operating hours are from from 12pm to 10pm daily with extended hours until 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
That’s a really lovely story about following your passions. It’s inspiring to see someone make such a big change and build something beautiful.