Starting from nothing, a Vietnamese mother transformed her life by opening a bakery in Germany.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Overcoming challenges, Thuy Linh (a Vietnamese woman living in Germany) persevered in pursuing her passion for baking. After two years, the first Vietnamese birthday cake shop in Germany has helped her change her life.

Waking up after a night's sleep, Thuy Linh (living in Munich, Germany) opens her computer and checks the list of cake orders placed by customers the day before. After preparing breakfast for her children, she goes to the store to buy ingredients in order to complete 15 cake orders for the day.

At just after 9 a.m., May Cake (May Cakes) opened its doors. The Vietnamese woman busied herself preparing the cream cheese frosting, making the cake base, and decorating according to customer requests. Occasionally,the phone would ring with customers wanting to place urgent birthday cake orders, but she had to refuse them.

Linh's shop in Munich, Germany (Photo: Provided by the subject).

"When I started my business in Germany, I only received 1-2 orders a day. After two years, the number of customers increased dramatically. Every day, I receive about 15 orders because I don't have enough staff," Ms. Linh shared with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper .

Hardship in a foreign land

Born in Ho Chi Minh City, Linh married a Vietnamese man living in Germany in 2013. At that time, she worked as an office employee with a salary of 35 million VND per month, enjoying a stable life without having to worry about finances.

At the end of 2014, she decided to go to Europe under the family reunification program. Before leaving Vietnam, the female employee spent many nights thinking about her choice.

"I came to Germany hoping that my children would have better educational opportunities in the future and thatour family could be reunited," Linh confided.

Having just arrived in Europe and not yet accustomed to the new pace of life, she missed her parents and the bustling streets of her hometown.

"Germans are generally quite reserved and cautious. They aren't very open when you first meet them. But if they sense sincerity, they're willing to help without thinking about personal gain," she shared.

Overcoming difficulties, Ms. Linh now has a popular bakery in Germany (Photo: Provided by the subject).

After some time, she adapted to life in a foreign land and made new friends. She tried to improve her German, hoping that in the future she could support her children's education.

When her first daughter turned one year old, Linh started thinking about going back to work. However, her previous accounting and finance qualifications were not recognized in Germany.

"I had considered going back to accounting, but deep down I didn't want to continue working with numbers. The busy schedule of taking care of my children made it difficult for me to concentrate on my studies," she shared.

Recalling her passion for baking from her days in Vietnam, she dreamed of opening a small shop. However, in Germany, to own a bakery, she needed a Master's degree – encompassing baking skills and knowledge of food safety…

Putting her dreams on hold, Linh sent over 20 job applications to various bakeries. Despite preparing all the necessary documents, she received no response. The young mother then posted a message on her personal page, hoping to find an opportunity.

She happened to read the article, and a friend who was looking for staff advised her to apply. Luckily, she got the job and stayed there for 9 months before joining a large bakery brand in Germany.

Many guests have a special fondness and affection for Ms. Linh (Photo: Provided by the subject).

Every morning, Linh wakes up at dawn, catches the earliest subway train to get to the bakery by 6 am. At the end of the day, she rushes to pick up her children and busily prepares dinner. In this hectic routine, the rare moments on the train and after her children have gone to sleep allow her to study for her Master's degree.

"In 2022, when I received my Master's degree – a professional baking certificate – I immediately started looking for a location. For me, those were days full of hope, because my dream was finally about to come true," she said.

A turning point in destiny

Rent in Munich is expensive, so when starting her business, Linh chose to "make do with what she had."

Using her entire savings of 20,000 Euros (613 million VND) and an additional 10,000 Euros (over 300 million VND) from a former teacher, she rented a 56m2 shop about 5km from the city center and purchased the necessary baking equipment. In May 2023, May Cake officially opened its doors.

"Because I had limited capital, I invested in basic items and didn't do anything too elaborate. I saved money and ran ads on social media to reach customers," Linh said.

Instead of a grand opening, she minimized costs by not hiring staff and personally baking the cakes and cleaning the entire shop.

The shop's first customer was a German woman. Passing by, she was curious about the cakes displayed in the glass case and stopped in to order a birthday cake for her daughter.

"When she received the cake, the woman didn't think a small shop could make such a beautiful product. From then on, she became a regular customer and referred many new customers," Linh shared.

In the early days, the shop only received 1-2 orders a day. Ms. Linh didn't dare accept more because she didn't have enough staff to help. In addition, the female owner also spent time studying for a certificate that allowed her to train in pastry making in Germany.

Linh's cake base is soft and fluffy, making it a favorite among many customers in Germany (Photo: Provided by the subject).

In the initial phase, Linh's biggest goal wasn't profit, but rather building a loyal customer base.

To win over customers, she sells her cakes at the same price as other shops, focusing on customer service and personalization according to requests. The owner tried making cream cheese frosting to decorate and top the cake base. This type of frosting has a slightly sour, salty, slightly creamy taste and is not as rich as buttercream frosting.

In Germany, birthday cakes are often quite dry and hard, with the outside brushed with a mixture of alcohol and fruit juice to soften them. In contrast, May Cake's cakes maintain a soft, fluffy texture in the Vietnamese style, combined with strawberries, raspberries, mangoes, and lemons for a refreshing taste.

"Thanks to the use of cream cheese, both adults and children love it and don't get tired of it. I also plan to develop a line of mooncakes with tapioca pearl filling - a novel flavor that many customers are curious about," she revealed.

What makes Ms. Linh proud is that many Vietnamese pastries have won over European diners.

She recounted that not long ago, a customer ordered pork skin cake for a birthday party. Having fallen in love with the taste of pork skin cake after trying it once at an Asian market, the customer wanted a large cake to share with everyone.

"Three days after the birthday celebration, the guest returned, expressing satisfaction and praising the refreshing and delicate flavor of the pork skin cake. Hearing the guest's feedback, I felt proud of Vietnamese cuisine ," she shared.

The little-known pressures of establishing a brand.

Balancing baking with taking care of her children, Linh sometimes feels completely exhausted. Besides studying for her certification exams, she rushes to complete orders. Some days, the bakery owner stays up well past midnight to finish her work.

According to her, cleaning and sanitizing the store and equipment takes a lot of time, because food safety regulations in Germany are extremely strict.

"If authorities find any stains in the baking area, the shop could be fined. Because the standards are so high, I have to be extremely careful," she said.

After much effort, in January of this year, having received her certificate allowing her to train in baking, Ms. Linh boldly expanded her business and ran advertisements on various platforms. As a result, the number of customers increased dramatically, averaging 15-20 orders per day. The selling price doubled compared to when she first started.

To find balance after the pressures of business, Ms. Linh spends time talking and playing with her children, and maintains a daily exercise routine.

Ms. Linh's cakes have won the hearts of customers (Photo: Provided by the subject).

"Sundays are family day; the shop is closed, and I dedicate all my time to my two children. If I overwork myself for too long, I can't continue pursuing my passion," she shared.

Reportedly, Ms. Linh is currently recruiting two workers from Vietnam to work as bakers at her May Cake shop. Later, the shop owner plans to expand the team to 10 people with the goal of opening a chain of bakeries in Germany.

After enduring the most difficult times, Ms. Linh feels satisfied with what she has worked hard to build to provide for her children. Her small bakery in the heart of Munich has helped her change her life and promote Vietnamese culinary culture to the world .

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/doi-song/tu-tay-trang-me-viet-doi-doi-nho-mo-tiem-ban-banh-tai-duc-20251210213313392.htm