I have friends who, prior to having their painstakingly prepared photobooks printed, would ask me to proofread their compositions because they know I meticulously read them and I enjoy doing so. While most people would simply browse through the photos, I would read the stories behind them, relishing the memory of a special moment shared by its writer. In recent years, I have read about business su
ccess stories that have so inspired me that I thought I want to be just like them “when I grow up”. The couple who makes and sells heart-shaped chocolate cake in Laguna tops my list. Then there is the story behind the now-famous avocado cake which started out as a business concept for a college thesis. A favourite pasalubong from Camiguin started out as a small business with less than 500 pesos as capital. Because of them, I imagined myself one day sharing my own success story with the world, my turn to give even a spark of inspiration to that “kid” who is asking “should I or should I not?”, be another proof that “great things start from small beginnings” and “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. God knows I have a million miles to go. But I wish to share the story of my humble beginnings because Loaves of Goodness, more than being my outlet for generating income, is very personal to me. It is the result of me constantly conquering my fears and self-doubt, endlessly questioning whether this is really what God has set out for me to do, not immediately accepting that what I thought I really want, that is to have another shot at working abroad, is maybe not meant for me, but all the while trusting that here I have a product that I believe has great market potential, and more importantly, other people find good enough that they keep ordering for more. I cannot talk about how Loaves of Goodness came to be without sharing my own story, which is not utterly unique nor dramatic. In fact it is quite common and relatable. I am a career-shifter. Before succumbing to the art and science that is baking, I was in the IT industry. I graduated from DLSU with a degree in Computer Science with specialization in Software Technology. I worked as a systems analyst/computer programmer for 7 years. I even enrolled in an MBA program after my third year in the company although I did not get to finish it. The shift in my interest came gradually through the years. I mean, I have always loved food and have always had a sweet tooth. My maternal grandma, Trining, was a great cook. Even before I was born she was already operating a small restaurant/big carenderia across a cigarette factory in Pasay. Unfortunately, she did not train her children, more so her grandchildren in the kitchen. My paternal grandfather, Jose, I heard used to bake (learned when he worked in a ship) and made quite tasty chocolate fudge icing, but us grandkids did not get to experience this first hand. So, during my first year in the IT outsourcing company, I met a couple of colleagues who baked as a hobby. They would bake simple muffins and bring them to the office the following day for us to sample. We would talk about food, restaurants, pastries, desserts, and baking (among other topics) in the chat app with other colleagues. They must have noticed my burgeoning interest in baking that they gave me a dessert cookbook for my birthday during my second year in the company. Because I did not have an oven yet at that time, I started with a no-bake dessert armed with only a hand mixer I requested my mom to buy for me and a random no-bake cheesecake recipe I found in a magazine. My birthday the following year turned out to be an unforgettable one as I find myself the recipient of a small electric table top oven from my friends at the office. Said oven still works today and is in pretty good condition, considering it is more than 10 years old. And so I baked, not often enough nor frenzied, but the output and the feeling I got from the process were enough to make me realize I have a knack for it. Over the next few years, I also got interested in cooking and as destiny would have it, I met a couple of people who are now very good friends of mine who are into cooking as well. One of them suggested we look into enrolling in a culinary short course, so one Saturday found us all the way in Katipunan, supposed to be only touring ISCAHM, but by the end of the tour we were already enrolled. The 12 weeks in the kitchen were fun, exciting, and a different sort of fulfilling. Of course the food was all delicious and the chef instructors were impressive. But what really had me drooling was the containers of baked goodies the pastry short course students got to take home after each session. The tug on my heart was enough that the following year, I was back in ISCAHM but this time in the pastry kitchen. While all of these were ongoing, I was still in the corporate world. Then certain events led to my turning point, plus the yearning in my heart to enroll in the pastry and bakery diploma course begged to be heeded. So, despite knowing that I would be 1.) saying goodbye to a secure, high-paying job, 2.) letting go of the health insurance my mom used quite a lot in the years her health deteriorated 3.) spending my savings to send myself to culinary school and support myself during my period of unemployment, I took the plunge and handed in my resignation encouraged only by this thought: if I was good enough to even be designated team leader and reach senior consultant level in an industry where I consider myself to be an average performer only, imagine what heights I could attain once I am doing what I am passionate about! I graduated from ISCAHM in 2011 and immediately after worked as the assistant of my teacher and mentor, pastry master Chef Ernie Babaran. The pay was meager but the techniques I learned surpassed everything I learned as a student for a year. After 27 months, I was fortunate enough to get a stint at a 12-room luxury lodge in Bhutan as pastry chef, where I stayed for 14 months. It was during one of those idle seasons when I started entertaining other options. Either look for other job opportunities in other, more productive countries, even as a pastry commis, and be further trained, or come back home to Manila and start my own business. I took my time with this business because in my heart, what I really want is to find a job in a first world country so that I could also travel for free. That opportunity has remained elusive though and has proven to be difficult especially since I do not have (legal) eligibility to live/work in said countries. In between applying for a job and receiving rejection emails, I bake and sell banana bread to keep myself busy and to earn money. There was this former officemate who persistently requested I bake banana bread because it was his favourite. I was in my 4th trial recipe when I finally found “the one”. The idea of putting a filling inside the banana bread came from another former officemate who suggested I use jam. I had Nutella in my pantry so I used that instead. Never had I imagined that in granting friends’ requests I would come up with what would become my signature product, and although I have added some items to my baking repertoire, the Banana Bread with Nutella filling remains to be my bestseller. Loaves of Goodness is thus named as my tribute to the product which jump-started my small home-based business. My baking inspiration is whatever I or my family or friends are craving for. My sweet reward comes in discovering I had not only satisfied those cravings, but that I had created them for those who have tried my pastries for the first time. I now extend the invitation to you. Come, try my homebaked goodies at Loaves of Goodness, or if there’s something specific you’re craving for, let’s talk. Let us get that sweet craving satisfied!
~ Tracy
