Meet Etete’s cake master
Shabalala is well known for his creative baking skills and bakes different cakes for various events
From his humble beginnings selling doughnuts on a train, Siya Shabalala is now a popular township cake master in Etete.
This man is reportedly so talented people say you could send him a photo of your house and he would bake it for you.
“Make sure that there is no litter in your yard when you take the photo because it will be on your cake,” laughs Siya.
“Send me a photo of your car and I will bake it so close to the original that you could drive it home.”
Shabalala is well known for his creative baking skills. He makes different cakes for various events.
The passionate businessman said he fell in love with baking when he got a part time job at a bakery while he was still in school.
Since then he had worked in different bakery businesses. His turning point was when he was employed by OK grocery in Durban and he was sent by the company for bakery training.
“After I got my baking certificate, I worked as a baker for 12 years at restaurants and hotels,” he said.
While he was employed full time, he did not abandon his doughnuts business, although he was struggling to buy his baking equipment he was taking any baking order that came.
“I used to pay a bakery company in KwaDukuza to use their equipment.
“Fortunately, when I finally resigned I had enough money to buy my equipment and for the past eight years, I did not turn back,” said Shabalala.
He is also a qualified electrician and mechanical engineer but hospitality seems to be in his DNA as he had also worked as a chef for a large shipping cruise company.
“I was taught to be a chef by Tapelo and Xolani while I was working at Zimbali Hotel,” said Shabalala.
Due to the high demand for his cakes, Shabalala had been able to employ six people and his bakery now runs day and night. He is supplying one of the big companies in KwaDukuza and a hotel on the Dolphin Coast.
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