"I think passion outweighs talent; so if you really like baking, then it’s not difficult for you to do it every day. It doesn't feel like work."
While baking for Sydneysider Maria Getueza has never felt like work, her pre-pandemic efforts were focused on finishing her business degree and working part-time as a manager in a café.
"There were no people coming into the café, so we were just doing takeaways. From 10-12 staff members, the number was whittled down to four—just those working in the kitchen. Even the owners are now just working for the business to survive."
Maria's [second from the left] pre-pandemic efforts were focused on finishing her business degree and working part-time as a manager in a café. Source: Maria Getueza
Survival of the tenacious
While the business she once worked for tried to stay afloat, Maria searched for work to supplement her daily expenses.
"I applied online for jobs in grocery stores, but I think they've been prioritising locals. So what I did was I tried to be active again with the Nameless Baker PH - an Instagram account I started in Manila where I would post breads and cakes I would bake. I thought I could start baking again to earn extra income for now."
For now, Maria makes baked goods at home to earn extra money but admits that she is one of the lucky ones to have her family's support with her school fees.
"I thought I could start baking again to earn extra income for now." Source: Maria Getueza
"My parents have helped me with my tuition fees, but their business has also been affected by the pandemic. I wanted to do something [to alleviate the financial burden]."
Find meaning in flowers
"My classmates here in Sydney would ask me to do the cakes and bread I used to do, so I started to do that. I jumped right back to baking. I was baking for quite a while back home so it was easy to get back to it."
Upon getting back to it, Maria decided to first make the product which was popular amongst her devoted clientele back home—her signature flower cake, which gave her a "very familiar feeling".
Maria has found meaning in making flower cakes. Source: Maria Getueza
"When I was in Manila, I had clients who would order flower cakes for their boyfriends or girlfriends. Eventually, those couples would get married and I would make their wedding cakes. When they had children, I would make their kids' birthday cakes. I was a part of their celebrations. I had a close connection to them somehow through it."
Through her cakes, Maria has also found a way to get through the current pandemic.
Maria Getueza Source: Maria Getueza
"There are days when it is hard to stay positive. As an international student here who lost her job, it's been difficult. On the flip side, we can go back to those things we didn't have time for before because we were too busy."
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