Every time I think of hosting a dinner gathering, celebration, or birthday, my first thought is what dessert I’ll have there. Through a friend’s birthday celebrations, I discovered Sandra Kayiwa’s small business, Faithful Catering. So it was a pleasure sitting down with her to discuss how she navigates being a CEO and owner of a small business and a medical student at the University of Exeter.
We began the conversation with what her initial goal was, which was to bake cakes for people she loved, her friends, family and friends of friends. She was known as the baker of the friend group, knowing that her friends could always count on her for those celebrations. Baking for her is a merger of science, art and love. From her background in studying medical sciences, she sees the creative process as a chemical reaction. Between experimenting with flavours and textures, she blends new trends and traditional recipes with her personal spin, making every cake uniquely yours. Sandra shares how her creative process is more like a “patchwork” rather than a standardised process. An artistic approach to baking and the creation of someone’s highlight. She shared her creative process like a true expert, despite being self-taught, Sandra dives into online baking trends, which tend to reflect her customers’ orders, discovering new recipes to try. Usually making her close friends and family the lab rats for her business, trying out new techniques and flavours!
She started baking when she was around eight. She began her continued hobby of baking with her family, through her dad. Her dad was a prime inspiration for her, as he was a former chef in the army, sharing his love for baking. A standout moment was when they baked a cake for her mum’s birthday, which cemented that she “really can do this”. Showered with compliments, her best friend sat her down, and told her to pursue Faithful Catering seriously. After this, she decided to take her first leap from a friend’s and family business to a wider operation. Especially with a gap in the market in Exeter, with a lack of affordable bespoke bakeries, students and locals are looking for someone reliable and trusted for their baking needs. Which just so happens to be Sandra’s Faithful Catering!
Sandra’s love and joy of baking shines through, her face lights up when we speak about her creative process. Faithful Catering offers a wide range of baked goods, the general rule is “anything goes!”. She can practically offer any baked goods ranging from brownies, cookies, cakes and any flavour of your choice! She enjoys being part of special occasions, from anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas or really just any reputable gathering with a great dessert, she’ll be there! Sandra prides herself on being a quick learner, there’s something unique and intimate about having a personal baker for all of your events.
She confesses how she tries to limit her ambitions by having only two orders a week, laying bare the overhead operational costs and time which can be demanding.
Her business is more than a traditional part-time job at university, it’s a lifestyle! She spends her weekends, beyond studying for her medical science degree, buying ingredients, preparing, planning, baking and cleaning up. A clear contrast from what most university students do, spending their weekend at the pub or recovering from the week’s tomfoolery. Most people underestimate the importance and dedication that most small business owners put into their business. Sandra shares honesty about how “you can’t really clock out” like a usual part-time job. Having Faithful Catering is almost like having a baby, you always think about it, and at times it blends into your life. She exposes how at times it’s rather difficult to prioritise both her degree and her business, which makes it more admirable! Sandra shares how there’s so much behind-the-scenes work that happens, offering a glimpse into her business schedule. She confesses how she tries to limit her ambitions by having only two orders a week, laying bare the overhead operational costs and time which can be demanding. This makes her business more like an exclusive club to be part of, a personal baker at your doorstep! She discloses frankly how the prices of her products are much lower than the market rate, and how she struggles to set boundaries in making business moves at times. Being a third-year, it’s made her time even more valuable, and burnout susceptible at times. The student community has been incredibly supportive with her recent sold-out booth at the University’s Christmas Market at the Forum. Sandra admired how her customers have been immensely generous and recollected stories of their compliments and their fondness for her craft!
But with Faithful Catering, it was something incredibly intimate: I could share my thoughts on my taste palate, my desires and needs of what I’d like in a cake.
Offering a bespoke service is easily one of the best luxuries you can give someone, I recalled my 20th birthday cake where I personalised everything from the design to the flavours. It was the talk of my friend group for months. High street and chain businesses aren’t always able to work with the clients due to high demands and corporatisation. But with Faithful Catering, it was something incredibly intimate: I could share my thoughts on my taste palate, my desires and needs of what I’d like in a cake. I recently had an opportunity to work with Sandra to create a cake for my dear friend and housemate’s birthday. I shared her favourites to create something quite personal, distinctive and exclusive. It filled me with a warm sense of being part of that birthday celebration. Something I couldn’t get elsewhere.
Sandra’s business is not just business, it’s personal. Baking for her is what writing is to me, a love letter to the recipient, a letter to share your admiration, celebration and gratitude. Sharing valuable time, dedication and love with the client. Working with her and being her customer, you can tell that she truly wants to make you happy. Faithful Catering is nothing short of impressive, Sandra wants all of her customers to open that cake box, and as that saying goes “to be loved is to be seen”. She wants her customers to feel exactly that, to feel noticed, seen, heard, loved and be taken care of. Sharing their special moments with her, after they trust in her abilities and get what they want.
Despite those long working hours, and the dreaded clean-up process, what keeps Sandra and Faithful Catering is just having a bit of faith! Knowing that usually the result will always be worth it, trusting the process, even with its flaws and rough edges. Seeing her customers’ faces glow, hearing their stories of gratitude and appreciation, just makes all of the little moments of doubt disappear. Knowing that people trusted her to deliver acts as fuel to the moments where she faces imposter syndrome. The little whispers in the back of her mind saying that she can’t do it, as we all have in the background. Her candid storytelling reveals the realities of running a small business. That at times, frankly it’s tough! Being a one-man band, she needs to not only balance the professional but also the personal. With moments where her perfectionist self takes over, making it difficult to appreciate her work. Spending longer and having immense amounts of stress, Sandra shares how her incredible support system of close friends and family always remains her biggest fans, keeps her grounded and that she’s just doing her best! Isn’t that all we can really do? Running a small business while studying for a notoriously difficult degree has shaped more than her academic university experience, but also her approach to friendship. Making her incredibly intentional with who she spends her company, understanding boundaries and making those friends who are reliable being her biggest supporters, even more impactful and vital.
Beyond university, Sandra has high hopes for herself and Faithful Catering, sharing how she isn’t sure to what extent her catering business will be part of her future. While she has keen ambitions to become a doctor, she looks forward to scaling up when the opportunity arises. Whether that’s being part of the creative process or running it from a distance, it’s safe to say that Faithful Catering is not leaving anytime soon.
You can support Sandra’s business through @faithfulcatering on Instagram!
