Despite her success, the Malaysia-born entrepreneur was extremely down-to-earth and the conversation flowed easily, just like how it would between old friends. In fact, we ended up chatting for two whole hours about how she got to where she is today.While waiting for her O-level results, Loyi decided to pursue her passion for baking by working part-time at cafe Baker & Cook and saw it as a good opportunity to pick up some skills.
After studying there for a year, she and her family went to Hong Kong in 2016 and during this trip, she visited aLoyi, who holds a Hong Kong IC, had frequented this cafe since she was young, but this time around, she came with the bread making experience and knowledge she had gained in Taipei, which inspired her to learn how to make bolo buns., to ask for an apprenticeship.
"My father had set up a university fund, but I didn't go to university in the end so he let me use the funds to set up a booth," she confesses with a laugh. However, settling on an investor was no easy task either. Loyi explains that she had to sieve through people who sounded like they wanted to con her money as well as people with ridiculous demands before eventually finding an investor that was genuinely interested.
So, when a family friend told her that a chef from the restaurant was quitting after 15 years, she grabbed the opportunity to tap on his knowledge and start her own business.