From Sailing Seas to Sweet Dreams: The Birth of Kawaii Cakes

  From Rainy Days to Sweet Success: The Early Journey of Bringing Kawaii Cakes to the World. Welcome back to the Kawaii Cakes story! In my first blog , I shared how I invented my dream cake shop, and in the second blog , I described the exciting yet challenging process of opening it. Today, in my third blog, I’m thrilled to take you through the early stages of bringing my delicious cakes to the world, navigating challenges like post-COVID struggles, rainy seasons, and the rise of online cake delivery in Chennai. Let’s dive into the journey of how Kawaii Cakes started making its mark! A New Beginning After the First COVID Wave: After opening my cake shop near VIT Chennai University in 2020, I was full of hope. I chose this location because of its vibrant student community, believing they’d become my loyal walk-in customers. However, even after the first wave of COVID, VIT remained closed while other colleges gradually reopened. This was a setback, as I relied heavily on f...

           Welcome to the story of Kawaii Cakes, my cake shop born from love for my daughter, and a bold decision to chase a new dream. In my first blog (https://kawaiicakesonlinecakedelivery.blogspot.com/2025/04/from-sailing-seas-to-sweet-dreams-birth.html ), I shared how I left my career as a ship officer and chose the name Kawaii Cakes,. Now, I’ll take you through how I started this bakery near VIT Chennai, from finding a shop to our exciting opening on November 16, 2020. Whether you are a cake lover or passionate to chase your dream, this story is for you!   Finding the Perfect Spot for Kawaii Cakes After leaving my sailing job in 2019, I spent a month enjoying precious time with my wife and daughter. Then, I began searching for a shop to start Kawaii Cakes. I wanted a lively spot, like near a bus stand or a college, because I remembered how we celebrated birthdays with cakes during my own college days. I focused on areas near VIT Chennai Univ...

 Introduction: A Life-Changing Moment On April 5, 2019, my world changed when my daughter, Azhal Navira, was born. Her unique Tamil name means "Brightest Star in the Universe" (Azhal) and "Paramount" (Navira). I spent five precious months at home with her before returning to my job as a 2nd Officer on a tanker ship. But one phone call from my wife would turn my life upside down, leading me to quit sailing and start my cake shop.  Life at Sea: Far from Family Working on a ship is tough. You’re cut off from the world, with no network for days. My usual voyages lasted 4–5 days, but in 2019, I faced my longest journey yet—crossing the Atlantic Ocean. For 20 days, I couldn’t contact my family. When we reached the English Channel, I got a weak signal, but it wasn’t until the Dover Strait that I could finally call my wife. That call broke my heart. My wife told me, “Azhal said ‘Appa’ for the first time.” I hadn’t heard my daughter call me “Appa” myself—I was thousands of m...