Many Cakes to Bake

Mong aka Meng Choo, 37, shares with Melanie Lee how she runs a busy ship of never-ending cake orders, running baking classes and selling baking supplies with her home-based business Mongstirs – all while keeping her house in order, being her children’s chauffeur cum tutor and ensuring her husband gets dinner on his table.

By: Melanie Lee

How did you get started on baking and cake decorating?
I’ve always liked to bake but my cakes would always sink!  It was only when my husband was posted to Hong Kong for work in 2005 that I decided to enrol in a baking school there.  I met some ladies in my class who told me to also sign up for a Wilton cake decoration course and I decided to try that out.  Before long, I was hooked and from there, I got my husband to sponsor me for a Wilton Master Class in the US in 2007, and I also attended a Wilton Method Instructor’s course in Malaysia that same year.

When did you start baking for other people?
I baked a cake for my daughter’s birthday party in 2006 (we had returned to Singapore by then) and my girlfriend liked it so much she told me to also bake a cake for her.  From there, orders just started coming in via word of mouth.  I also set up a blog and posted photographs of what I baked.

When did you start having your own baking classes?
I began my own classes in 2008 when we moved to our new place in Upper Bukit Timah.  I specifically requested for a bigger kitchen so that I could run baking classes for about six people to a class.  However, I also freelance at community centres.

Why do you think your cakes are so popular? (Mong has closed cake orders for 2009 due to overwhelming demand!)
I think it’s because I make an effort to really customise my cakes.  When I started this in 2006, there wasn’t much variety in cake decoration – the designs were 2D, it involved a lot of fruits.  But I was doing all kinds of things like making car and shoe cupcakes.  Mothers here are willing to pay for such special cakes for their children’s birthdays.  While my main customers are mothers/children, I also do cakes for adults e.g. wedding events and making “naughty cakes” for anniversaries.

How do you ensure that you spend enough time with your family as your business expands?
I have been especially busy this year and my husband and my two girls have been complaining.  The turning point came when my youngest daughter, Macy, 6, prayed aloud one day, “Dear God, please don’t let all these people order cakes from mummy anymore so they will stop coming to the house.”  That was a wake-up call for me to take stock.  As such, I have come up with certain ground rules: my classes should only be held when my daughters are in school and I will complete all my baking and class preparations by Friday night so weekends are solely devoted to the family.  Sometimes, when I have too much to deal with, I get my previous students to assist me with the baking and they can both learn more and earn money at the same time.  I was intending to develop my website by setting up an online forum but I’ve put these plans on hold for now.

What is a typical workday for you like?
After my two daughters board the school bus, I will start preparing the house for my morning classes.  I will also instruct my helper on what to prepare for lunch.  When the kids come back from school, I will help my older one, Megan, 10, with her schoolwork.  After that, I will send them for enrichment afternoon classes like Chinese language or swimming.  While they are at those classes, I will try to get some “me time” and go to the gym or get a pedicure.  When we get back in the late afternoon, I will prepare dinner – my husband only likes my cooking so as much as possible I try to personally prepare the dishes.  After dinner, I will continue to supervise Megan’s schoolwork, and then I’ll pray with both my daughters and tuck them into bed.  After that, I’ll go on the computer to update my blog and website, reply e-mails and plan for the baking supplies that I will need for upcoming classes and cake orders.  As you can see, I really need to manage my time well!

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