I first stepped into the kitchen at the age of 10. Creating dishes and experimenting with food fascinated me. I was also always hungry. The look on people’s faces when they tried a well made (or not) meal I had made was pure joy for me. Be it a simple batch of French fries, an experimental omelette with ketchup inside instead of tomatoes, or a cake I’d baked with my mom and brother; cooking has always been a love of mine.
As an adult, I had never really thought about entrepreneurship as a career option. It did make me wonder, and I was impressed with people who managed to pull it off. When I was 21, I’d look around me and see so many of my peers starting and successfully running their own small home-based businesses; but I didn’t think I could be one of those people. It just seemed unattainable to me, considering the place I was in. I did, however, always know I was more suited to creative pursuits rather than the ‘do your MBA and get a nine-to-five job’ pattern. I had a strong passion for food, art, design and even the performing arts. Fast forward to my post-A levels self: I had to opt for the business degree track since my family thought it would be the more practical thing to do. So I tucked away my dreams and went along with it.
My university fellows and friends would urge me to consider the food business after trying the food I made and I would laugh it off and tell them it was impossible. It was only when I had graduated that I realized I felt empty. I had somehow completely lost direction, and in the time I spent halfheartedly applying for corporate jobs, the feeling grew unbearable. That’s when my mind starting entertaining the thought of starting a business and doing the thing I loved the most.
Now, I know following your dreams and doing what you love sounds very cliche, but trust me, sometimes it’s more difficult to go after the things you want in life than you can ever imagine!
As if it didn’t seem hard enough already, every time I brought the idea of a food business or chef school up at home I was treated like a child who didn’t know what she was doing. I was told to drop the idea. I was told to get a job. “Who would even buy from you?”, they’d say.
And I’m so glad someone said it. Because right after I was hurt and had cried, I got angry. And that has made all the difference. I pushed my fear and indecision back (for the most part) and told everyone, including myself, that I would see this through no matter what anyone told me. It was my passion. It was my life. It was my goal. God willing, I was going to become and entrepreneur!
Driven and motivated, I still had no idea where to start from so I just quietly prayed for a miracle. In the mean time I kept myself busy with my food blog — The Paitu Pakistani — my tiny little escape. And it just so happened that around that same time I was asked to make a cake for a friend’s birthday. It was a Rich Devil’s Cake with about half a kilogram of chocolate on top in the form of roses. The cake that today, Alhamdulillah, sells the most! The orders started pouring in and word quickly spread. It didn’t even fully register to me how quickly it all happened, but I was ecstatic! I set up a page and started working harder on polishing my skills and the whole thing just worked itself out like clockwork. My family’s reaction? One of disbelief mingled with pride! Naturally, this only added to my satisfaction.
Signature Rosette Cake
So what is Oh Fudge, you ask? And what sets it apart? Well, I have heard a lot of people around me complain that while most cake businesses in today’s saturated fondant cake market focus on excellent fondant work, the focus had shifted away from the taste and quality of the cake. While a lot of people still love their fondant decorated cakes, the charm of a cake that looks good, but a lot of the time tastes dry and disappointing, is wearing off quickly. That is where Oh Fudge — my little labor of love — comes in. I don’t work with fondant. I focus instead on handing over a quality cake that looks and tastes great without it! You can’t please everyone, but you can sure as hell try!
The MnM Kit Kat Barrel Cake
The main idea is for the customer to have a great experience and be totally satisfied with what they pay for with every bite, which is why I focus a lot on feedback. I always make sure to check in with my customers after the order has gone out to check for any complaints. I ask if there is anything they feel could have been better. I bake alone and do all of it myself; the mixing, the baking, the checking and the packing.
Snickers and Salted Caramel Cake
There is no aspect of the process I don’t have complete control over. I even try and hand over the order to my customers myself. That’s one of the things I can take pride in; the attention to detail and being open to honest feedback so I can follow up on a product I have made with love. I believe this is crucial for a newborn business like mine. I hope to maintain this aspect as the cornerstone of my business and success in the years to come.
Toblerone Mud Cake
In all honestly, the whole thing can be scary. Trying to set up and run a business alone; fighting indecision and the people who try and kick you down can be quite nerve-wracking. And all the while hoping and praying that you don’t mess up a customer’s order. But let me tell you, it’s all worth it! You just have to find the light at the end of your own tunnel and keep going till you are happy with where you are! So far, so good! Alhamdulillah, the cake game is going strong! *Thumbs up*
Noor Zaidi is a total foodie, a business graduate, and an aspiring chef. She owns and runs Oh Fudge, an order-based cake making business operating out of her home in Sector G-6/3, Islamabad. For orders and information on Oh Fudge, you can visit their Facebook page as well as find them on Instagram.
