Savusavu-born Maude Simpson Johns has had a love for baking all her life and at the age of 54 she does not plan on stopping anytime soon.
Growing up in Kuladrusi Estate Savusavu, she recalls spending her younger days baking in the kitchen with her mum and aunts.
“In Savusavu, everyone in my family bakes especially my aunties and my mum,” she says.
“Usually, every Saturday, we’d bake sponge cakes and pastries for our Sunday dessert.
“And, no, I didn’t go to a special catering school, I just learned to bake by watching them in our little kitchen in Savusavu.”
Commonly known as Aunty Maude, she says their recipes date back almost a hundred years and have remained in her family, and to this day she uses them in her cooking.
She said she came from a big family of about 12 and all the sisters and the cousins would exchange recipes, so that was the way they learned from each other.
“I still have old family recipes that go back to the early ’90s.”
Aunty Maude specialises in making meringue pies and other savories such as chicken quiches, vegetarian and chicken pies, sausage rolls and cakes.
“Whether I get orders or not, I’m happy because I do this as a hobby and it’s a skill that I’ve acquired over the years, so I’m happy to share my talent.”
Aunty Maude says the small business started off as a hobby baking pies and cakes for nearby businesses.
“It began when I used to work. We would take the pastries and pies early in the morning to sell to small coffee shops and offices and all deliveries done by the time before I clocked in to work.
“Now I just bake from home whenever I get orders and we sell by word of mouth and from our online page my daughters created.”
Aunty Maude does not plan to expand her business because she likes the not-stressing-out part of baking from home.
“I love just baking at home with my girls and right now I don’t have any plans to expand,” she adds.
She said everyone should be willing to share their talents no matter how small there are.
“The richest place on earth is not the bank, but at the graveyard, you know why? Because all the talents and the knowledge that wasn’t shared was taken to the grave.
“Whenever anybody asks me for the recipe I will share it. A lot of people told me not to share the recipe because it’s for my business.
“To me I want to share. The mango tree didn’t bear fruit for itself, it made fruits for others to enjoy.”
Aunty Maude says none of her past achievements would have been possible without God and how God used her talent and love for baking to bring her this far.
She has four children, one son who resides in Japan and three daughters, the youngest is 23 years old.
You can catch Aunty Maude’s tasty savories at the Garden City market day and ROC market.
They are also available on their Aunty Maude’s pastries Instagram and Facebook page for orders.
