This was the case for one Justine Lim, who gave up her job in a tech company to throw herself into baking.
Where she once juggled paperwork and organised meetings, she’s now up to her elbows kneading dough and whipping up cake batter.
From her little baking studio in Kelana Jaya, she runs Justine Cakes & Kueh, her private business which serves a variety of gorgeous and delicious cakes to customers throughout the Klang Valley.
But why leave behind the corporate world for a life in the kitchen?
“I worked at a big tech company for 10 years. The job was quite stressful and I contracted a severe case of hyperthyroidism,” she told FMT.
Despite being medically advised to take a break, Lim pressed on with work. “But the stress got to me,” she said, adding that she soon developed heart palpitations.
With little choice left, Lim quit her job and did some soul searching. “Baking is my passion, so I decided to venture into this full time.”
And what a good decision that was as, just one month into baking, the symptoms of her illness began to ease.
By December 2020, Lim had upgraded from her home kitchen to a full-fledged baking studio of her own.
As most Malaysians know by now, the Covid-19 was in full swing at this time, complete with lockdowns and restricted movement. While those were difficult times for many, for Lim, it was a blessing in disguise.
Given that she was running an online-only business, orders kept pouring in. Business boomed to the point that she needed extra hands to help fulfil her orders.
She credits her Penang Peranakan heritage for her passion for baking, specifically two women in her life – her grandmother and her mother.
Like them, she uses the “agak-agak” method when making Asian kuih or savoury dishes, eschewing specific measurements and going for guesstimation instead. For baking, however, she stressed that specificity is required.
So far, “agak-agak” seems to be working out for Lim, who also hopes to inspire young Peranakans to continue their culture’s culinary heritage.
To enhance her baking skills, Lim took baking and cake decorating classes. “It’s not challenging but you need practice. You can’t just learn overnight and be good at it. It takes a lot of trial and error.”
Her business has had its ups and downs. She recounted one incident when a cake she was delivering to a client melted in transit. Luckily for her, that client was a gracious soul.
“Not only do you need to learn how to bake and cook, you also need to know how to get the cake to the client in one presentable and tasty piece!”
Speaking of tasty cakes, what does Lim specialise in? She has a fondness for Asian-inspired pastries like her onde-onde cake, nasi lemak cake and pandan gula Melaka cake.
Lim’s nasi lemak cake tends to draw the most attention with its outlandish appearance betraying its surprising tastiness. “I love trying out new flavours that no one wants to try,” she said.
“My onde-onde cake is good as well as I make it with sweet potato. Most ordinary onde-onde harden after a few hours but mine doesn’t because of the sweet potato,” she said.
Her dedication to quality is such that she uses gula Melaka specifically from Melaka because of its better quality. “You have to be consistent with your food and it has to taste good!”
On an ordinary day, she bakes about ten cakes, requiring her to be up and ready before daybreak.
According to her, a standard-size cake takes an hour to bake, and another hour to be decorated. “It takes a lot of waiting.”
In addition to her halal bestselling cakes, Lim also offers gluten-free options, and she’s experimenting with vegan-friendly versions as well.
So, with her baking studio in full swing, surely a café is on the cards?
Lim said she is in no hurry to open a café with competition being so stiff. Besides, her online business is booming – especially this festive month.
In fact, her Christmas wish this year is to take a holiday soon. “But I know with this festive season and Chinese New Year approaching, I won’t be taking time off until afterwards!”
Check out Justine’s cakes and pastries on Instagram and Facebook.
Justine Cakes & Kueh
Unit 3-11, Infinity Tower
Jalan SS6/3
47301 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Contact: 012-238 2878