Michael Emmenegger from The Westin Beijing Financial Street takes us along for the whirlwind prep and serving of one of Beijing’s most famous Sunday brunches

Sunday Morning 7:00 a.m. I walk into the kitchen at the The Westin Beijing Financial Street. Like every Sunday, it’s a big day. We’re prepping for our “inspiRED Sunday Bubbly Brunch.” Our bakers have been here all night crafting fresh pastries and bread. The sweet smell wafts through the kitchen.

On the Line 8:30 All my pastry guys are working on getting the cakes, pastries, crèmes, chocolate and icecreams ready. While everybody is rushing around, I get started on my croquembouche, which we only make on Sundays. It consists of about 80 balls of light choux pastry filled with a crème pâtissière custard and dipped in toffee (and fashioned into a bright red tower). This Sunday, the custard is flavored with Grand Marnier. After I am done, I stand back and assess the structure. Perfect! I go around and check on the guys, ticking everything off in my mind: homemade chocolates, tarts, ingredients for the soufflé, crepes suzette, and lastly, all the large cakes, tortes and cheesecakes.

Finishing Touch 10:00 The last garnishes are going on the cakes. The brulées are being caramelized and three types of chocolate—white, milk and dark chocolate imported from France–are melting for the fountains. I get started on the famous “dessert pass around,” a dessert of enormous proportions laid out on a massive wooden board. We carry it around to guests at the brunch. Today it’s a chocolate Swiss roll filled with orange butter crème. It is over two metres in length. Rolling it requires precision and skill. Last week’s was a Pavlova in tribute to the time I spent in Sydney.

Race Against Time 10:30 Our trolleys are fully loaded and on the move. All the cakes, pastries and chocolates are ready, and we are off to the buffet. We weave our way through the kitchen corridor. It’s like a bee house buzzing with chefs frantically clearing the breakfast buffet and setting up for the brunch. We arrive at our pastry section. The buffet needs to be turned around in 60 minutes—from clearing the breakfast buffet to welcoming the first brunch customer. Time is running fast. I go through the whole buffet checking that everything is in its place. I carefully check the desserts, making sure the presentation is fine and that the desserts’ true beauty shines through. I can safely say that they taste even better than they look.

Voilà 11:30 The last trolleys are leaving the buffet area and all the chefs are taking their action cooking spots. As we are leaving, the first guests are already taking their seats. I can see the excitement in their eyes as they look around the countless food stations. Not long after, people are streaming in and the brunch is fully and truly on its way.

Brunch Country 12:00 p.m. Prego and Senses, our restaurants, are filling up fast and the buffet is a hive of activity from chefs cooking to people wandering and filling up their plates. I refill everything on the platters—cakes, pastries, chocolate— and show guests where things are located. You need a map to navigate this brunch. I caution guests to leave room for my “dessert pass around.” I look at my watch. It’s about time to start.

Pass It Around 1:00 The chefs bring up the two-meter-long Swiss roll from the pastry kitchen and place it on the buffet while we get ready. We collect a mountain of plates and off we go, table to table, offering the mammoth dessert. It’s a pleasure to see the look of shock on some of the guests faces when they see the size of the cake. We draw a crowd as we go along. The dessert proves to be quite an attraction.

Scrape the Plate 1:45 The last piece of cake is served! But the buffet continues until 3pm, and that’s when the desserts get hit the hardest. I can see that the guests are slowing down but can’t resist trying a few more sweet treats.

3:00 I finally sit down for my lunch break, pleased about the success of the brunch.

Next Course 4:00 Another brunch is over, and I’m already thinking about what I’m going to make for next Sunday’s centerpiece dessert. Either a giant carrot cake, a millefueille or frozen chocolate praline and nougat log.