‘Baking is an art, you have to learn it with time’

Chineze Ibuoka is the CEO of Honeysuckle Cakes and Confectionary. Mrs. Ibuoka began her baking business, including designing and creating celebration cakes for all occasions, 25 years ago. In this interview with ENIOLA DANIEL, she spoke about the challenges in baking, what kept her going and the eighth edition of Honeysuckle Cakes & Sugar Art Show.

Tell us about yourself
My name is Chineze Ibuoka. I run Honeysuckle Cakes. I have been around for so many years. I got into cake baking first, and then went into sale of products and market products for cake confectionaries. I have trained a lot of people. I teach people how to develop themselves and be independent. I mentor people. I have people who attach themselves to me and I am happy to always help them, especially women. I help to build a lot of people.

How did Honeysuckle Cakes And Sugar Art Exhibition begin?
Initially, it was out of a desire to train people, mentor them and showcase the industry. I had always been teaching people how to bake cakes but I felt there was a need to gather people, vendors, teachers and students under one roof. That was an all-encompassing project. That’s how we started.

How has baking business been so far?
It keeps getting better every year. What is unique about this year show is that it is better than last year’s. The theme this year is Blossom. We’ve been doing wonderful things over the years. It has gone from one level to another and I can say, this year is better than last year with more people showcasing in the business. But one of the things that made us really relevant is that we produce and design to suit our customers’ individual requirements and could be tailored to reflect lifestyles, hobbies and interests.

What are the challenges in the eighth edition of the exhibition?
In Nigeria, we have that problem of having quality products. So, over the years, people may buy flour today and discover the quality has reduced the next day, the sugar you bought today may not be the same thing tomorrow so, as a new-comer into the business, you’re not sure if you are producing the best cake. Also, in sourcing for people, sometimes the right people are not easy to find and if you get some, you don’t get qualified bakers.

Baking is a job you do as a qualified person, not just anybody, if it’s selling in the market, anybody can sell but when it comes to cake, it’s an art and you learn with time. Part of the challenges is also finance and sponsorship. If you have sponsorship, it makes it a lot easier. I have sponsorship but it could have been better. It takes a lot, gathering people together is not easy, so those are the little challenges but I have wonderful, supportive friends. I don’t even need to really be on ground for things to run smoothly.

What do you hope to achieve with this year’s exhibition and training?
I want to bring up younger people in the industry that will take up from wherever I stopped. I want people to learn new acts, techniques and ideas. I want people to come and see an array of cakes, different ideas.

How long have you been baking?
This is my 25th year of baking officially. I have always been baking, my mother was baking, so I’ve been baking all my life, and I was baking and selling in the university. I kicked off officially and started running the business when I got married and I’m in my 25th year in marriage.

What has been the motivation?
If you don’t have passion you can’t do this business, it is very stressful, it’s exhausting as a business but I’m excited any time someone mention cake, my drive is the art in it; the artistic part, the creativity, the outcome, you bring something and suddenly make a work of art, it’s very inspiring.

How many people have you trained so far?
I can’t even count. I have trained a lot of people in this industry. I have seen professionals- bankers, doctors, lawyers, medical personnel and others that are established in their businesses. They come to learn baking out of passion.

Apart from baking, what other programmes do you organise?
We train people in different areas, which include wedding concepts, teaching how to make flowers, butter cream, working with mediums and techniques in the cake industry and pastries, making bread, and others.

What do you think about the future for the industry?
There is an enormous opportunity in the industry. You can hardly see any event without a cake. So, the future of the industry is bright. The exposure is more, new ones are coming with ideas and old people are going higher. I have travelled to the United States, Singapore, United Kingdom and other parts of the world for cake. So, the awareness is there and people are ready to learn, get new ideas and make it even more creative than ever.

Did you say baking is a female profession?
We have a lot of females, but to be frank, some of the best hands in the industry are men. You talk of Tosan and Robert. So, it’s no longer a female kind of thing.