Today we’d like to introduce you to Gillian Chin.
Gillian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Growing up I always enjoyed helping my mommy in the kitchen, especially when she was baking. I remember being so fascinated watching her cream butter and sugar with a wooden spoon, and then waiting patiently for the finished product to come out the oven. I never imagined I would ever end up baking full-time as a profession. I started out at FIU pursuing a degree in Business, and very quickly realized it was not for me. I took a nutrition class as an elective, loved it, and so I ended up getting my Bachelors of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition, and subsequently a culinary degree at Le Cordon Bleu. It was my intention at the time to marry the two and become a Nutrition Chef. I did nutrition counseling and recipe conversions for a while, but I didn’t find it very fulfilling. Admittedly, I felt very lost and wound up in a completely unrelated job while still baking as a hobby. A few of my friends suggested selling my baked goods, and it eventually became something I did on the side. It still hadn’t occurred to me that it was something I could do for a living, and then a friend in construction gave me the idea of building a bakery as an add on to my parents’ Jamaican restaurant. Filled with fear, anxiety, but also hope, I quit my full-time job and never looked back.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I think owning and operating a business for anyone, the struggles are endless. For me personally, what I struggle the most with is perfectionism. Because I need things to be done a very specific way, it tends to directly affect my time management as well as my ability to cope with the stress that follows. I also work alone, so I have no back up, no cushion; everything from start to finish is on my shoulders, so it’s constant added pressure to make sure it all gets done. There have been some really hard days where I felt like quitting, but I use them as lessons going forward. It’s a consistent learning process and I have to make the conscious decision everyday to show up at my best, because so many of my customers rely on me for their most special moments.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Cool Runnings Café?
My parents opened Cool Runnings in 1994; it’s a Jamaican restaurant and we do breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts. My parents and my brother cook the food, and I do all the baked goods.
Although I do custom decorated cakes, my specialty is really in baking. Most of my customers don’t believe me, but I don’t consider myself to be a cake decorator/designer. I do it by default, but it’s not something that comes naturally to me. I have to work really hard at making sure the finished product exceeds the expectations of my customers. So while I prefer a good old fashioned bakery style cake, I understand the desire to have something beautiful and memorable for special occasions. What I take the most pride in, is the time and effort that I put in to every thing I make, whether it’s a simple classic vanilla cake or an elaborate 3 tiered custom cake, or a slice of bread pudding in the display case. I want my customers to know that I’ll always go above and beyond to make sure it’s perfect before it leaves my hands. And for me the reward is in the reaction and the response. It’s what makes all of it worth it, because this life is not for the weak.
What does success mean to you?
For me it’s setting goals and intentions and actively putting in the work to see it through. Not everything you do will have a favorable outcome, but knowing you gave more than just the bare minimum, makes the wins feel more satisfying and that gives you more confidence to keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bakesy.shop/b/cool-runnings-cafe
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillythebaker
