“Pwede ko na i-let go ang work ko eh kase ang kita sa pagbi-bake ay doble na sa kinikita ko sa aking trabaho…dreams do come true!”

These were the words Joanna Cabrera-Tabuac uttered when we did her interview.  There was no trace of bragging but just a sincere aura of gratitude and happiness. Wouldn’t you be just as excited if you were in her shoes?

Humble Beginnings

Joanna lived a simple life in the Philippines. She graduated with a nursing degree and worked as a nursing assistant  in a mental facility.  She’s also very enterprising and sold all kinds of knick-knacks as a side job.

She moved to Ireland  in the year 2009  with the hope of having something better  for her family.   She started out as a babysitter and cleaner  for different families. Life was hard in a foreign land but she held on with the belief that everything will get better in time. 

Joanna is a goal oriented person.  She knows that once a goal is set she will do everything in her power to achieve it.  With hard work and perseverance, Joanna was able to land a job as a health care assistant in a retirement home. But nursing for her  was just a means to an end.  Joanna’s dream is to really have her own business. She still doesn’t know what business she’ll get into so it remained at the back burner for some time.

And then COVID 19 happened.

Joanna and The Bailiwick Academy

Joanna lost her babysitting side job when the pandemic hit.  She also lost a big chunk of her earnings. During this time, social media is showing that baking was becoming a trend. Joanna decided to give it a try. As she was browsing YouTube for recipe videos she chanced upon an ad for The Bailiwick Academy. 

Joanna got curious and she clicked on the ad.  The presentation of the courses impressed her. But what really caught her eye was the Artisan Ensaymada class.  But Joanna didn’t have the tools to make the ensaymadas so she opted for the Bibingka class instead. 

From that class,  she was able to buy the tools needed so she can produce more products to sell. She also enrolled in more classes.  The Bailiwick Academy was such a big help to her that she has this to say:

“ Kailangan ko mga ‘to. I keep on enrolling kahit wala sa budget… nakaka adik ang mga class. Talagang magugustuhan mo ang classes! … And yung mga instructors, hindi ka nila hahayaan nalang after ng class. They answer your questions and you can really feel that they care for the students. Hindi ka nila talaga papabayaan.  Yun po talaga ang pinaka nagustuhan ko.”

Joanna Cabrera-Tabuac

Her Growing Business

“When you love something, it doesn’t feel like work.” – Natalie Massenet

Natalie Massenet

This quote holds true for Joanna.  She started out small.  She gave samples to her friends and co-workers. Her market eventually grew through word of mouth. Now she hardly has any rest days!  If she is off from work, she makes use of this time to fulfill baking orders.  Among her bestsellers are the Artisan Ensaymada, Spanish Bread and Pan de Sal.  All these, of course, are courtesy of The Bailiwick Academy!

In less than a year, Joanna has established herself in her community as a successful home baker. However, she didn’t stop there. She researched about Filipino stores in her area.  She inquired and brought her products for taste tests.  A few weeks had passed and she didn’t hear anything from these stores.  Joanna was disappointed but this didn’t deter her from going after her dream. She just kept on trying.  After several tries, she got a call from a Filipino Store that she can already supply bread.  Joanna was so happy!

On The Rise

On the first drop of her products, she noticed that there are 5 sellers of Filipino bread.  Same products as hers.  She was nervous, scared and doubtful. A lot of what ifs in her head.

“What if my products won’t sell?” 

“What if the customers won’t like my bread?”

But backing out or giving up isn’t on her plan.  She just hoped that she could sell at least a few.  

Just hours after, she got a call from the owner of the shop!  Her products were almost sold out! And the owner was asking when she could replenish her stocks.

That was just the start.

Now, Joanna supplies bread to 4 Filipino stores in Dublin through her Facebook page, Eirebelle’s Delights. She developed a system to balance her job, family duties and her baking business.  She is a proud registered business owner too! 

Joanna The Dreamer

“Ako po kase ang tao na pag may ginusto hindi ako titigil hanggang maabot ko siya…”

With her earnings from baking and her savings, she was able to pay off the mortgage of their house in Ireland. And the dreamer that she is, Joanna someday hopes to have her very own coffee shop. No doubt that this dream will become a reality in the very near future!

But until then , Joanna is very happy to have financial stability, a thriving business and a career. Yes, we can do it all if we just put our mind to it!   Joanna nowadays is happy to juggle her job, her baking and her family.

Wouldn’t you want to become just like Joanna?

The post Joanna Cabrera-Tabuac: Dreams Do Come True appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.

While in Canada, she was happily busy with her job as a Personal Care Worker and her family but she had to stop working when she had her baby.  However, when Jackie was ready to go back to work, a still unknown virus brought the world down to its knees. Later known to be COVID 19, this virus spread and quickly turned into a pandemic. Jackie unfortunately  had a hard time looking for a job.  But tenacious as she is, she decided to enrol in IT classes with hopes that she could be adept in this industry and land a job.  

Discovering Her Passion

Maybe it was fate that brought Jackie to this building to enrol in an IT class because  this is where she saw a lot of beautiful cakes on display in a cake shop in the building.  She was wide-eyed and mesmerised!  Jackie immediately went inside and inquired for cake decorating classes.  Fortunately, they were offering classes. Without batting an eyelash, she enrolled and finished a short cake decorating course. 

But she wanted more! This was when she knew  that this is the path she wanted to take.

As with all newbies in this field, she scoured the deepest alleys of  the internet for recipes and cake decorating tutorials.  She found a lot of them on Youtube and Google. She started her journey into baking and cake decorating. However, most of the recipes and video tutorials were hit or miss.  Sometimes the recipes turn out great but more often than not she needed to tweak and experiment to achieve better results.

Jackie’s Baking Journey and The Bailiwick Academy

Through word of mouth, Jackie slowly gained some clients. She would bring some of her baked goods as gifts to her friends as trial for her products.   Her products were good but she knew she could do better. 

As her passion for her new craft grew, her quest to be better also intensified.  She joined baking groups so she could immerse with fellow home bakers and was able to learn a slew of techniques and ideas. Still, she wasn’t entirely satisfied.

Until one fateful day, she found The Bailiwick Academy on Facebook.

It immediately sparked her interest.  She explored The Bailiwick Academy’s website and she was happy to find baking and cake decorating classes. Without hesitation she enrolled in Timeless Cake Rolls by Chef Jimbo.  She chose this class because there was shortage of fresh cake rolls in her area. She decided that offering freshly made cake rolls would be a good idea.

After enrolling and watching the class, she discovered that she can definitely still improve her skills and techniques. She also learned new ones. So, she enrolled in more classes.  She noticed that her baked goods really did improve a lot in taste and presentation.  For instance, her bestselling Ube cake went from good to spectacular!

And what’s more…her cake rolls became a huge hit! Her product line also expanded. She now offers ensaymadas, custom cakes and other pastries which she also learned from The Bailiwick Academy. The pandemic did not hinder Jackie from achieving success.  In fact, she became so busy she now considers this as her full time job! More of her baked creations can be viewed on her Facebook page, Jackie’s Creative Cakes and Sweets.

 Sometimes, Jackie gets so busy she would be working for 36 hours straight!

What’s even more admirable?  She is doing all these while taking care of an eighteen month old baby!  Amazing, isn’t it?

Why Pay?

She is very proud to say that most, if not all, the recipes of the baked goods she is offering she learned from The Bailiwick Academy. And she has this to say to all naysayers who think that a paid class is a waste of money:

“…free recipes and tutorials are not comparable to the classes of The Bailiwick Academy. You gain a lot of knowledge, the correct techniques and useful tips. It helps a lot. The chef instructors are all professionals and highly skilled. My skills have improved greatly. Ever since I took up classes at The Bailiwick Academy I never went back  to Youtube.  Also, the fee is so worth it! When I enrol in a class I don’t think of the money I spend. The classes  pay for themselves. Because of The Bailiwick Academy,  I don’t need to look for a job anymore. “

And for everyone who is new to baking, Jackie has 3 Ps for you. Patience, practice and persistence!

“I never dreamed to be a baker and cake decorator. Don’t be afraid, just take the risk. You’ll have a hard time at first but once you get the basics don’t be afraid to explore … and fail. It is when you fail that you learn a lot. Don’t give up and keep on trying. Practice, practice and more practice! Just keep going. I should know because I’ve been there.”

Do you want to be like Jackie and be your own boss? More tips from Jackie here:

What are you waiting for?

The post Jackie Isip: From Unemployed to Lady Boss appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.

Working as a Nurse Aid in a nursing home in Canada, he has his hands full already with the demands of the job.  However, baking has always been a passion of his and he decided to pursue this as a side job.

Rex’s Baking Backstory

Rex has shown interest in baking while he was still living in the Philippines.  He attended some workshops but they didn’t really make an impact on his baking skills. 

Rex moved to Canada to search for greener pastures fifteen years ago.  He would attend workshops while on vacation in Manila.  He really was serious in improving his craft. 

Rex also spent a lot of time experimenting with recipes and techniques he got from the internet. He started giving out his baked goods to his friends and he was selling a few cakes here and there. Until one day an opportunity fell on his lap.  This was also about the same time that he discovered The Bailiwick Academy.

As Fate Would Have It

He saw this as a blessed coincidence. It was fate. It was meant to be.

Rex was invited to showcase his baked goods in a fair. He wanted to do well and he knows that his techniques needed some improvement. He admittedly enrolled in a class because he realised he needs help in improving his baking techniques. 

At the same time, he was pleasantly surprised that The Bailiwick Academy gave him not just the  proper techniques but better recipes as well. 

Recipes that have been tried, tested and perfected by well-known and seasoned chefs. 

The chef instructors were also very supportive and encouraging.  To his amazement, Rex sold out his very first fair.  His baked goods literally flew off the shelves and he was done in just half a day!

That was just the start. 

Work And Baking

Today, Rex has a registered business! And this was made by hard work, sacrifice and sheer determination. His Dessert Plus by Rex took Saskatoon by storm. And soon to conquer Regina, the Saskatchewan capital. Indeed, Rex is going places!

His weekends and some days in the week are brimming with orders of cakes and breads.  He wants to accommodate more orders but a one-man team can only do so much. With a full- time job and family duties, how does he manage to do all of these?

His answer is simple: TIME MANAGEMENT. 

For starters, he opens slots for pre-orders on certain days and weekends. 

This way, he will be able to budget his time from  prepping his ingredients, baking, decorating, folding boxes and other stuff he needs to do.  He even allots time for sleeping and unexpected emergency runs to the grocery!

Moreover, he times his baking in such a manner that he can bake his cakes while his breads are proofing. (Check out some baking classes )

Very efficient, don’t you think?  He also has perfected a system with how he washes his baking tools while more products are still in the oven and some are in the mixer!

He does the prepping, baking, decorating, packaging and washing all by himself. 

Best Sellers Learned From The Bailiwick Academy

It is quite common that fellow Filipinos yearn for some good ‘ol Pinoy delicacies, Rex’s baked goods have been picked up by a local restaurant in Saskatoon, Canada. 

An entire shelf was allotted to him so he can showcase his products. Among his best sellers are Siopao, Pan de Coco, Spanish Bread and Ensaymada.

He is proud to say that all of his best sellers were learned from The Bailiwick Academy. These don’t really last long on the shelves of the restaurant.  That’s how in demand his baked goods are!

Custard Cake Love

We have talked about Rex’s best-selling products. But his Custard Cake deserves a special mention. It is super popular in his local  community and within The Bailiwick Academy’s global community as well.  He even earned the nickname “the Cum Laude of Custard Cakes”! 

His version, some would teasingly comment, parang “nagpa-derma”. They are referring to the super smooth and blemish-free custard on top of a perfectly baked chiffon cake. 

And guess what? This recipe is a bonus recipe from the Irresistible Silvanas class. How wonderful is that? Rex turned something free to a best-selling product!

His Success and The Bailiwick Academy

Despite his success, Rex remained humble and hardworking. He encourages and helps his fellow Bailiwickers by patiently answering their baking related queries on the community page. He even made a step- by -step guide on his technique on how to achieve his beautiful Custard Cake.

Admittedly, Rex owes most of his success to The Bailiwick Academy.  He learned the proper techniques that weren’t on Youtube or Google.

More than 75% of the baked goods I make are from The Bailiwick Academy!”

He also learned and realised that “pwede na” should not be the norm but rather aim for perfection.

He has these to say to newbies and aspiring bakers.

“ My failed attempts prompted me to do better. The word “palpak” is motivation for me. If you don’t succeed on your first or second attempt, don’t stop! Don’t quit! Sayang ang inumpisahan. Be patient. Huwag magmadali.”

Patience, hard work, determination and The Bailiwick Academy are the components to Rex Cabellon’s success.  

Watch the rest of Rex’s story here:

Wouldn’t you want this too?

The post Rex Cabellon: Finding Success From A Bonus Recipe appeared first on Online Baking and Cooking Classes - The Bailiwick Academy.