Using a recipe she found online, the mother of two added a few personal tweaks. Soon, the kitchen in her Damansara Heights home was abuzz with the clink of silver bowls, flour floating in the air, and the hum of the oven.
By the time the cake was baked, it was well past three in the morning. Nervously, Lim sliced a piece and handed it to her husband, also a lawyer, who was still awake. One bite was all it took – he was hooked.
“I asked him if I could quit my job, and he said yes,” Lim recalled with a laugh. “Right there, I opened my laptop, typed my resignation letter, and sent it off to HR. I’ve never looked back.”
Driven by her love for desserts – and a craving for happiness – Lim gave up her RM30,000-a-month legal career to open a small cake shop called Swich Cafe.
That was 12 years ago. Today, Swich Cafe operates from a cosy lot in Atria Shopping Gallery and is a beloved name among PJ’s dessert lovers.
Known for cakes and gelatos infused with Malaysian flavours like cempedak, durian, gula melaka, Bentong ginger, and kelulut honey, the shop’s bestseller remains the Valrhona chocolate cake – the very same one Lim baked that fateful night.
“I wanted joy, and desserts make me happy,” Lim said. “Think about it – every happy moment in life, whether a birthday, wedding, or office party, has a cake. I wanted to bring that joy to others.”
Sure enough, there’s plenty of flavours at Swich Cafe to keep you happy, from the Durian Bomb and Cempedak Mango to Valrhona Salted Caramel to Brandy Blast.
But the road to success was bitter-sweet. Growing up as the third of five siblings in Klang, Lim’s family depended on her father, a lorry driver, to make ends meet.
“My parents wanted us to study hard and have good careers so we wouldn’t struggle the way they did,” she explained.
For Lim, that path led to a demanding legal career, with long hours working for multinational companies. It wasn’t just the job that drained her – it was the guilt of missing out on family life.
“My two-year-old son had a cough that just wouldn’t go away. I was so busy that I just gave him a regular cough syrup. It developed into full-blown bronchial pneumonia. The doctor gave me nine medications and said, ‘He takes these, or he dies’,” Lim recounted.
Her elder son’s emotional meltdowns – later diagnosed as autism – added to the pressure.
“During a conference call, he was rolling on the floor, screaming. I muted the call and told the maid to get rid of him. That moment hit me – I realised I couldn’t keep living like this.”
It was this overwhelming pressure that made her re-evaluate her career and make a switch to the cake industry. “I wanted to do something that could bring happiness instead.”
Now, Swich Cafe’s success reflects her passion and purpose – and it’s still growing. Next month, Lim will open a new branch at Sunway Pyramid. “Expanding the business gives my staff room to grow. It’s important that they have opportunities to become managers, team leaders, and specialists,” she explained.
But keeping the business afloat, let alone expanding it, is no piece of cake. Yet, despite the challenges of the F&B industry, Lim finds a sense of fulfilment her legal career never gave her.
“Sure, the paychecks don’t compare. But knowing I’m helping my staff support their families and put roofs over their heads – that’s the real reward.”
Looking back on that midnight decision 12 years ago, Lim has no regrets. “I couldn’t be happier,” she said with a smile. “This smiling face? It wasn’t there when I was a lawyer.”
Swich Cafe
C11A Concourse Floor
Atria Shopping Gallery
Jalan SS 22/23
Damansara Jaya
47400 Petaling Jaya
Business hours: 10am-10pm
Contact: 03-7731 7702
For location, click here.
Find out more about Swich Cafe here. Follow Swich Cafe on Instagram.