Overcoming the "tsunami" of COVID-19 in Dubai

Having graduated from university with a degree in international relations in Vietnam, Trang Tran decided to go abroad to study in a professional environment in the field of… baking. The place she chose is not a popular destination for Vietnamese people.

Passion leads the way

Trang Tran came to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2013 to work as a baker at a 5-star hotel in Dubai Marina - part of Marriott International Group. Thanks to her good communication skills and knowledge of cuisine , she adapted quite quickly when she first arrived.

However, the original plan went off the rails when the hotel manager arranged for Trang Tran to work at the dessert buffet - a simple job that revolved around a few fruit salads, pancakes and waffles. The rest of the time, she stood at the food stall to ensure that the guests were always served attentively.

With a desire to go to Dubai to learn, Trang Tran tried to ask the buffet chef to help her work in the bakery. However, she only received head shakes with the reason that the bakery was full of staff.

Not giving up hope, Trang Tran went to the Indonesian pastry chef to explain. Recognizing Trang Tran’s sincerity and eagerness to learn, he agreed to give her a chance. From then on, after 10 hours of work at the buffet counter every day, she persevered to go to the pastry kitchen to learn for another 3-4 hours.

Trang Tran's family at a Lunar New Year party organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE in 2019 (Photo provided by the character)

This intensity of work has left Trang Tran exhausted many times. Every time, the fragrant smell of butter and milk revives her, reminds her of the motivation that brought her to Dubai and continues to push herself forward.

A year later, Trang Tran changed jobs but continued to hone her baking skills. Her original intention of working for 2 years in Dubai changed again, this time by chance Trang Tran met her husband - a Sri Lankan chef working at the old hotel. Working in the same industry, although not in the same kitchen, he understood and always helped and supported her a lot on the path to realizing her ambition.

The two got married and Trang Tran continued to stay in Dubai to work. When COVID-19 hit, she and her family moved to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. The pandemic made the couple's jobs unstable, and their income was cut by up to 90%! "However, my husband and I were luckier than many people who had to lose their jobs or not be paid for a whole year," Trang Tran confided.

Vietnamese flavored cake

To improve her life at that time, Trang Tran started making cakes and selling them online. She mainly focused on the needs of the Filipino community because this group of customers often held parties for many occasions such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, etc.

Luckily, Trang Tran's orders increased and customers recommended her cakes to their friends and acquaintances. Her husband helped deliver the cakes, and together they overcame the difficult COVID-19 period in a foreign land.

After that, the Vietnamese community here got to know Trang Tran's cakes more. She also received orders from many staff members of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UAE. Trang Tran said that the embassy staff enthusiastically helped her and introduced customers to her in Dubai. In return, she always gave discounts on cakes for her compatriots.

Some of the cakes Trang Tran has made (Photo provided by the character)

Customers, both Vietnamese and foreigners, love the Vietnamese-style cakes that Trang Tran makes - light and fluffy, not too sweet, with familiar ingredients and flavors suitable for Asians. Meanwhile, cakes (cream cakes, birthday cakes) in the UAE are mainly heavy and dense, with a strong sweet taste.

When asked what makes her cakes so popular, Trang Tran revealed that it is because her prices are 1/4 lower than the market price. Her secret is to replace unnecessary expensive ingredients with cheaper ones.

For example, fondant is very expensive to decorate, and it has to cover the entire cake, but no one usually eats it because it is too sweet. Trang Tran replaced 80% of the fondant with whipped cream at a third of the price, keeping only 20% of the decoration on the cake.

As the number of customers increased and her husband returned to work, Trang Tran decided to find another support staff. Many days she only slept 3-4 hours, which was very tiring, but she was able to do the job she loved and had a stable income, so she kept trying. When many customers asked to learn how to make cakes, Trang Tran still agreed, even though she had not opened a class or charged anyone. In the future, if the business was stable, she said she would consider opening more baking courses.

Imprint of sincerity

The advantage of cakes covered with fresh cream is that they are cheaper, but the disadvantage is that the cake is not as sturdy as candy. Therefore, the cake is easily collapsed by the candy decoration on the surface. Thanks to her meticulousness and personal experience, Trang Tran has overcome this problem and has never disappointed her customers.

Every day, she makes 5-8 cakes, and on days with few customers, she makes 3 cakes. Each cake of each style usually takes about 2 hours to complete for a regular cake and 3-4 hours for a more elaborate design. For Trang Tran, every order is "difficult" because she puts all her heart into each cake. "Customers have chosen me for their important day, so I can't make them complain," she confided.

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