PETALING JAYA: The best way out of a problem is to roll up one’s sleeves and get down to work. This was clearly demonstrated by two individuals – Nik Muhammad Hilmi Halim and Gaayathri Manimaran and their respective families.
Both lost their livelihood as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic but rather than wallow in self-pity and wait for handouts, they have launched their own businesses and are now seeing the fruits of their labour.
Hilmi was a customer service adviser until the pandemic put paid to his job last year.
Knowing that getting another job would be next to impossible, he decided to start his own food business. Fortunately, he had his father to guide him. The father-and-son team banked on the idea of starting their own homemade lasagne business to make ends meet.
“We worked from our home in Seremban. It was not an easy start. There were many obstacles,” he told theSun.
Rather than give up, they pushed harder by picking up the necessary skills to make a success of their enterprise.
“There were many new things to learn. We also did not have enough manpower to manage the orders and deliver the food. After all, it was just my father and I, but we somehow got it done,” Hilmi said with pride.
Apart from some minor setbacks, the business has been good so far, thanks to help from people around them.
Their bestselling item is the beef lasagne. “We ensure that we use only premium ingredients. My father prepares his version of the base sauce. It’s his secret recipe.
“We make sure that the meat is fresh and minced to perfection,” he added.
Prices range from RM7 to RM45 per serving, depending on the size.
Gaayathri was a customer service executive and her husband Maran was a cargo coordinator at Changi Airport in Singapore until last year when both lost their jobs. They were forced to move back to Malaysia.
To make ends meet, the couple started a home bakery business they named Dream Home Bakery. “We make cakes, cupcakes, brownies and all types of birthday cakes,” she said. However, it was not easy.
Gaayathri had to learn from scratch given that she did not know how to bake in the first place. “I also did not have the proper utensils.”
But she persisted and with the support of family and neighbours, their home in Bandar Putra in Kulai, Johor quickly turned into a hive of baking activity. Before long, she gained sufficient confidence to start selling.
Her best sellers are the Pandan and Gula Melaka cupcakes and cakes, the classic Red Velvet cake and the perennial favourite – brownies.
Unfortunately, she encountered more bumps on the road.
“Travel restrictions under the second movement control order (MCO) made delivery difficult,” she said.
However, Gaayathri is keeping her fingers crossed, hoping that the MCO will be lifted or eased soon to enable her to deliver the cakes across a wider area, so she can reach more customers.
Cake lovers can reach Gaayathri on her official homepage dream_homebakery on Instagram or call 014-7254 134.
Those who enjoy lasagne can call Hilmi at 017-6763 167 or visit his Instagram page at lazat_lazania.
