Sweet Butterfly a treat in the backing business

POLOKWANE – “I learned to bake at home. My mom, Reginah, taught me in our kitchen and I also learned a few skills from Chef Prodigies baking and cooking school. I can now bake a variety of products for my clients. I believe when it comes to baking, you sometimes have to deal with disappointments like burnt edges, bad recipes and wasted ingredients. Then you learn and improve from those disappointments as you go,” she said.

Tlou added that she loves the look on her clients’ faces when they take that first bite and find that the product tastes as good as it looks.

“There’s nothing as satisfying as a happy client. I take pride in my products because I take my time with them. The balance of patience, knowledge and precision keeps me interested in what I’m passionate about,” she said.

The young baker believes that remaining fairly fashionable is what it takes to be a professional baker in the current climate.

“What I mean by that is, for someone to be a professional baker, it’s the ability to show off your craftsmanship alongside the ability to balance the flavour. To work in a team of skilled and motivated people with the challenge of continuously improving my skills keeps me excited. The fact that my mom helps me a lot in the kitchen makes me a better baker every day,” she said.

One of Tlou’s challenges in the industry is that she never thought she could make it this far.

“I never thought my skills were good enough. I’ve always compared my cakes to the ones on the internet, but then I would remember the words ‘nothing is perfect in the eyes of the creator’. That’s what motivates me each day.”