"I worked part time in restaurants for extra money when I was a teenager, and that’s when I started tasting different kinds of food and discovered a love of working with it. I studied psychology at university, which I enjoyed, but I always knew that I wanted to work for myself.
"All through high school I tried a lot of creative business ventures to earn some extra money - either with music or events or working with clothes and fashion - and by doing those different things, I worked out where I could and couldn’t make a good return.
"We had bought my sister baking equipment for Christmas after she had baked a nice cake once, but she actually wanted new trainers and had no interest in doing any more baking. Rather than let the equipment go to waste, I started baking for fun, loved it, kept at it, and taught myself how to do all of it from books and online lessons while I was still at uni. I also realised quite quickly that I could make money from it.
"I sold my first cake to a Greek restaurant in George Square, and they immediately wanted more. I knew that I wanted to open my own place eventually, so I developed my business bit by bit, did my research thoroughly, worked hard on my business plan, and opened my own bakery in Dennistoun, just over two years ago.
"We opened three months before lockdown, but despite that whirlwind, the local community - between the businesses and the residents - have been so good to us. The people are great here, whatever you need they’ve got you, from a cup of sugar to being brutally honest about what they do and don’t like - they’re not shy, but they’re kind and the community spirit here is real and that’s why we’re still here and it’s going great.
"Music is my other love. I studied music in high school, but I first started singing at my church when I was young and now, I sing in my local church and sometimes at weddings. Music runs in our family - my brother is a musician, and my sister does some music here and there, so it’s always been a big part of my life, and I’ve always danced as well.
"I feel music is like a fruit with different segments that takes you off in wonderful directions, through this energy all of its own, and when I opened the bakery I knew that we had to have monthly music nights for people to come along to. We had to stop doing them in lockdown obviously, but people kept asking when we would bring them back which fired me up to get them going again.
"We have all kinds of themed music events, but I really can’t wait to do a Gospel music night here in the bakery. You can’t beat Gospel music - it brings life back and to life and we’re all looking forward to that."
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