I ARRIVE at a café located in a quiet commercial plot in Taman Mayang, Petaling Jaya, approximately 20 minutes before the scheduled appointment. Confidently, I place an order for my usual flat white, my eyes scanning the somewhat empty café, in search of the best spot to hold the interview.
But much to my surprise, the person whom I've come to meet, Soniashree Nair, has already picked the table for us and is seated right across the barista counter. Sheepishly, it suddenly dawns on me that Sonia, as she's better known, had arrived before I did.
The first thought to cross my mind the moment I clap eyes on the 28-year-old is that she's far too beautiful and glamorous-looking to be a typical baker. "Have you ever thought of joining a beauty pageant or becoming a model?" I couldn't help blurting out the moment I'm seated opposite her.
A hearty chuckle follows my question. "I did go into content creation for a while, exploring the influencer route," replies Sonia, a smile still on her face. Adding, she says: "Everyone thinks content creation is fun but it's literally a job. It's difficult because people expect you to maintain a certain image. Besides, it was very taxing to come up with content and keep up appearances. With me, it's all about having a carefree life. If you're not having fun, why do it?"
JOURNEY INTO BAKING
It's not long before we get into the topic of her beautiful cupcakes, which I'd chanced upon on TikTok. It seems she has been baking since the age of 14. What's the story there, I ask the pretty Rawang native.
"It all started when my best friend invited me over to her house to make cookies," recalls Sonia, before adding with a grin: "But I thought why don't I just stay at home and bake cupcakes. That's basically how it started!"
Excitedly, she shows me photos of the cupcakes she made in the early days. "They're pretty bad," she says, laughing good-naturedly. Some of the icing on the cupcakes look to be on the slightly messy side but considering that she was only in her teens with no baking experience, it's quite impressive, I remark, before reassuring her: "My cakes always sink in the middle. These, trust me, are very good."
Her face creases into a happy smile before Sonia shares that she baked from time to time throughout her secondary school years. It was only when she started attending university that she started taking it a bit more seriously. "My best friend actually pushed me into it, saying that there's good money in baking."
After graduating with a psychology degree from Help University, Sonia worked as an English tutor for a while. "From there, I earned really good money, which I invested into my business," she recalls, before confiding: "For the longest time though, I didn't get many orders so the business wasn't very profitable. I sold my cakes at low prices."
But, she adds, she enjoyed doing it and was intent on pushing herself. Expression earnest, she admits: "I love a good challenge. If you think my cakes are something that you'd like, I would make a cake for you."
LIFT OFF
Then one day everything changed for her.
"The pandemic was bad for a lot of businesses but my business boomed," recalls Sonia, eyes lighting up at the memory. Adding, she tells me that in a small town like Rawang, there are not many bakeries around. People began to learn of her business and before long, orders started coming in.
Says Sonia: "That's when I received a lot of orders and I ended up taking many videos. I dived into TikTok, which helped my business to boom. All it took was for one video to go viral and people started following me. With TikTok, you can show the whole process of making the cake from scratch."
Continuing, she elaborates: "With Instagram, I tend to miss messages as they get mixed up with notifications of comments on my posts. So, I always channel people to my WhatsApp, where it's easier to track orders. I also started doing voiceovers for my videos. I never script my voiceovers. People tell me that my voiceovers are calm and soothing, which encourages me to do them even more."
What do your parents think of you becoming a baker? I couldn't help asking. A small chuckle ensues and Sonia exclaims: "Oh God, we're going into that topic, huh?"
It seems her parents had wanted their daughter to pursue more serious vocations, like becoming a lawyer, accountant, engineer or doctor. Meanwhile, Sonia figured that psychology might be the closest thing to medicine. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before she discovered that it didn't appeal to her.
Wryly, she remarks: "To this day my parents still think my cake business is a side hustle. I don't see it that way though. I consider this as my main job. I used to beat myself up all the time whenever I thought about how my friends and siblings all have jobs and were using their degree, but I wasn't doing anything with mine."
It didn't help that she had an unpleasant experience during her internship period, mandated as part of her degree requirement. "I've had jobs and internships with mean bosses. It was a bad experience. My internships also gave me a picture of what it'd be like to be employed. It made me wonder whether I'd want a 9-to-5 job. I know I can't be choosy because of the current economic climate, but I'm going to do this as much as I can."
Taking a quick sip of her passionfruit tea, Sonia muses: "My interests may change. I do like the idea of becoming a researcher and enjoy writing journal articles. Maybe that can be my side hustle." Then, as an afterthought, she adds: "I'm a carefree person. Whatever happens, I'll go along with it. My motto is 'it's not time wasted if you enjoy it'. If you're not happy at the end, it's not the end. It's important for me to be happy."
"Have you had any mishaps in your business so far?" I ask her. Sonia nods, before sheepishly answering: "In the beginning, I didn't know how to make structured cakes. Tiered cakes need a strong structure. Once, one of my cakes fell!"
My eyes widen as I imagine the cake falling apart. "What did you do?" I ask, half expecting her to have thrown the cake out.
She smiles before replying: "I still delivered it but I had to offer a significant discount to the customer." She has since, however, found the solution to reinforce the structure of her cakes. "Now, I insert straws to make sure it's stable and doesn't fall," confides Sonia with a knowing look.
WHAT MAKES HER TICK
Away from her cakes, this Taurean is an avid reader and is a huge fan of the author Sarah J. Maas. "Do you remember the Big Bad Wolf sale? I used to take the train from Kajang to Mines Wonderland to stuff as many books into a cart for RM100. My favourite genre is fantasy," shares Sonia, her beam wide.
"Do you like Harry Potter?" I ask, the name of the only fantasy character I know suddenly coming to mind. Sonia holds up her left wrist in response, where I note the numbers 9 3/4 clearly tattooed, an ode to the famous train platform for the Hogwarts Express in every Harry Potter film.
Proudly, she tells me that she has five tattoos, most of which are on her left arm. "To cover my arms and also to express my interests. They're also there to cover my anxieties," Sonia confides, her voice suddenly dipping.
Anxieties? I mouth and she nods her head slowly. "Yes, I may look like a carefree person but if you dive into my mental health, that's a whole different thing altogether. When I think about the future and contemplate issues of self-worth, I'd say that I'm not a very confident person."
It sure doesn't show, I think to myself as I gaze at this well-dressed young lady who seems to exude quiet confidence. But whatever shortcomings she perceives in herself is more than made up for in the devotion that she pours into every cake she bakes in the kitchen of her parents' home.
"If you don't feel good, the cakes won't turn out good," cautions Sonia, before sharing: "I even talk to my cakes! They're all handmade and each one is special. The way I see it is that I cannot get back the time so I might as well put the love into them. It makes me happy that people like my cakes."
It's no surprise when Sonia admits to cakes being her "kryptonite". She eats anything and everything, except chocolate. Grinning, she shares: "I do like chocolate cupcakes but I don't like chocolate ganache. I'm more of a vanilla person. I even order cakes from other bakers to support small businesses. I know how difficult it is to build the business and recognition."
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
As we reach the end of our interview, I ask the affable young woman what she has in the pipelines for her business.
"The plan is to move out and get my own studio apartment," she replies almost immediately. Adding, Sonia tells me she's contemplating to relocate to somewhere in Damansara Damai, a neighbourhood located near Sungai Buloh, Selangor.
"It's close to the House of Ingredients where I get all my baking ingredients," she elaborates, adding: "But to be honest, I'm afraid of taking the first step. I wonder if this is too big of a step. I want to live closer to the city and make more boutique-based cakes, something along the lines of designer cakes, fancy and elegant type of cakes."
Then turning excitedly to me, she exclaims: "I truly enjoy making cupcakes. I really want to be a cake designer. I really, really do!"
Then, turning pensive, she confides that her parents are against her idea of moving out. Frustrations etched on her face, Sonia points out: "You're supposed to move out only when you get married. And what's worse is that I'm the baby of the family mah!"
I'm sure you'll find a way of getting your parents to come round to your way of thinking eventually, I reassure her.
She nods, looking thoughtful. Concluding, Sonia says: "My friends and family are supportive but they can't be helping me all the time. I'm the project manager, accountant, baker and cleaner. It's not a glamorous job being a baker. You can be slaving away for more than 12 to 15 hours a day. It's exhausting but I don't mind. It's a passion."
Find Sonia on TikTok at @feelbattercupcakes