She left banking for banh mi – and built one of Paris’ coolest cafes

Meet the new generation of women in F&B turning bold ideas into success stories, from Parisian banh mi and molecular coffee to Singapore’s most coveted butter buns. In the first of this three-part series, we speak to Pearlyn Lee of Nonette.

In F&B, teamwork is everything – even if colleagues don’t always get along, the show must go on. So says Pearlyn Lee, co-founder of the South-east Asian restaurant The Hood, and its sister bakery Nonette, in Paris’ 11th arrondissement.

“In F&B, there’s no ‘undo’ button; every move counts. I always tell my corporate friends: If you want real team-building, put everyone through a restaurant service,” says the former banker, who moved from Singapore to Geneva in 2011 for a commodities trading role.

After a few years in finance, Pearlyn wanted a change of environment – “Geneva isn’t exactly the most exciting city to live in,” she quips – and decided to move to Paris in 2016, where she loved dining out and exploring new restaurants.

“Food was always something I enjoyed. I kind of ventured into F&B very casually. It wasn’t really intentional. It came from something as simple as, ‘There’s no good coffee in Paris; there’s no good Asian food. Let’s do something about it,’” she shares.

The fact that Pearlyn had no culinary experience didn’t faze her. On the contrary, her corporate background helped her manage the business and understand its risks.

“Everything I learnt came from being in the restaurant, front and back of house. I started by helping chefs during pop-ups, doing basic prep and cleaning. When I moved to Geneva, I didn’t even know how to cook rice – my mum had to teach me,” she adds.

“I also learnt service by jumping in during busy nights. I love that adrenaline. It’s like closing a high-stakes deal, but live.”

The restaurant quickly became known for Singaporean favourites like kaya toast, chicken rice, and laksa – even popularising pandan and kaya in Paris.

Not content with The Hood’s success, Pearlyn decided to introduce something more “relatable”: Vietnamese-inspired banh mi sandwiches and Italian-inspired doughnuts. Nonette was launched in July 2021, and has since gained a following, including celebrities such as the cast of Netflix’s Emily in Paris.

What makes Nonette stand out – beyond its fusion twist – is its commitment to freshness, with most ingredients made in-house and bread baked daily, slathered with butter and pate infused with fragrant chicken fat.

“We want to educate people about banh mi. There are so many misconceptions – people think there’s only one way to make it. But every family in Vietnam has their own version. What matters are the essentials: fat, pickles, protein, crunch, and freshness,” explains Pearlyn.

From crunching numbers to dishing up banh mi in one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in Paris, Pearlyn is now looking forward to the next chapter of her culinary journey: opening an outpost in Singapore’s CBD in 2026.

She recently completed a three-month pop-up at Rasa Space in October, where she served the banh mi jambon beurre – made with three charcuterie meats: char siu, Vietnamese mortadella, and ham, along with pate and French butter – and the fried chicken banh mi, featuring South-east Asian–spiced fried chicken and sriracha mayonnaise. Sandwiches were priced at $12 each, while desserts were $4 apiece.

Returning to Singapore is a calculated risk, Pearlyn admits, given the challenging F&B climate – but she remains steadfast in her decision.

“It’s been tough,” she admits. “I’ve lived alone in Paris for nine years, while my family is in Singapore and Hong Kong. I work six days a week, and have given up all holidays. When my grandmother passed away suddenly, it hit me hard – I realised I couldn’t keep living like this.

“Since then, I’ve been building a proper team and creating systems, so the business can run without me being constantly there. I’ve been planning my return for a while – not just for Nonette, but to finally be closer to family.”

PHOTOGRAPHY Athirah Annissa
ART DIRECTION Adeline Eng
HAIR & MAKEUP Aung Apichai
COORDINATION Chelsia Tan