CGY issue no. 1 July-August 2012

Mama Mia When CGY visited Aileen Lee for this fea ture, there a re two things we couldn’t fail to noti ce: One, her pinkish, glowing, whi te s kin whi ch turns heads everywhere she goes ; and two, her mi ni-me, Ka rleen. This little tyke is very artistahin, we reckon, as we took some shots of her pla ying wi th the i cing.“Sometimes when I frost the cupcakes she helps me or she thinks she’s helping”, Aileen laughingl y sha res. “She knows that mommy is cooking and she even wants her own kitchen set because she sees that her mom has one.” she adds . It is no denying that Aileen’s relati onship wi th daughter Ka rleen is as s weet as her pas tries.

As a single, young and working mother, Aileen sa ys there a re three things tha t she loves spending ti me wi th or a t the most. “The kitchen, my Karleen, and Karl”, she gushes and blushes. As you would probabl y ha ve guessed by now, the la tter is her pa rtner and Ka rleen’s fa ther. “If I’m not in the kitchen, I’d be with either Karleen or Karl... Sometimes, all three can be at the same place”, s he sa ys . We’re guessing that’s where s he is happies t a t. As a home -based ba ker, Aileen seems happy and content. She sa ys that one of the reasons why s he chose this lifes tyle is because she can spend time wi th her daughter while working. “I work but I stay at home so I can just spend time with my baby. I don’t have to go somewhere else. While working, I can hug my baby, we can talk, and it’s also our bonding time”, she sa ys . As they say, a mother’s love for her daughter or son is s tronger than a nything else in this world. Aileen can surel y a ttes t to that.

Sweet Baker Aileen fi nds it ha rd to speci fi cally point out where her l ove for baking began. “Dili ko ka remember when I exactly started to bake but I remember [that] as a child, I used to play with my candies and pretend that I am baking…” she claims . When asked i f she has alwa ys been a s weet tooth, she answers wi th a defini te “yes.” Aileen sa ys tha t prior to ma king i t as a business ; she bakes as a hobby and as a fa vor to her friends. “Baking is a very expensive hobby. My friends who tasted my pastries, wants to eat it all the time... [But] I also can’t afford to treat them all the time!” she exclaims. Wha t she does then was to allow friends to hand in money for the ingredients and then she bakes the pas tries for free.

After getti ng the hang of baking regula rl y, she wanted to a cqui re a l ot of ba king equipment that cos t a slight fortune. Tha t was when s he deci ded to make i t as a business. “It might be a dead investment If I invest [it] and