Mother bakes to put food on table
The only thing that has kept them going was Carica's love for baking.
There’s no easy way to start over. But with enough motivation, dedication and inner strength, anything is possible.
Forced by her circumstances, Carica Mostert had to relocate from Cape Town to Roodepoort to start a new life for herself and her three children.
“We had no other option but to move somewhere a bit more affordable and make a fresh start. My oldest daughter is 18 and finishing her matric this year, my other daughter is 14 and their little brother is four,” she explained.
The only thing that has kept them going was Carica’s love for baking. For the past eight years she has been baking full time, and for the past five years it has been their only source of income.
“Even though I was baking full time it wasn’t enough and I had to take on another job. For about two years I worked around 20 or 21 hours a day. My baking wasn’t enough to support my family. So I would work from 08:00 until 17:00, get home, cook, get the children in bed and bake until 23:00. I would get up at 03:00 again and bake until I had to get the kids ready for school and go back to work,” she said.
“Since we moved to Roodepoort in February I haven’t managed to get a job. I’m not scared of work. It’s tough having to pay for school fees, rent and food with only my baking. In Cape Town I used to have 15 to 20 orders a week, and this week, for instance, I only have two. It’s a challenge just trying to get by.”
Carica specialises in cakes, but also does cupcakes, cake pops and tarts for just about any event such as birthdays, weddings and christenings. She also offered baking lessons, which unfortunately has come to a halt due to Covid-19.
She dreams of opening her own shop – whether it’s a coffee shop, bakery or even a home industry which will enable her to sell her baked goodies. She would also like to showcase and sell the community’s hand-made products in order to boost their sales.
“I’m a big softy and I want to help others in the process. I want to continue baking with the recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. I tweak the recipe to make all kinds of cake such as chocolate, Bar-One, vanilla, orange, carrot cake and red velvet.” Carica said.
She never turns down an order, even if she has to do it overnight, and enjoys putting her own twist on each cake.
“I have loved baking since I was a young girl. But now, I have to use my skills to put food on the table. As a single mother I simply have to make it work for my children’s sake,” she concluded.
If you would like to support Carica, feel free to visit her Facebook page, Kiki’s Cakes & Bakes or contact her on 063 169 8183.
