My Journey to Revive a Struggling Café Through Baking

A few months ago, I took over a café in Shanghai that had been running for 10 years. Although the café has been around for years, it never offered baked goods. The menu includes pizzas, pasta, salads, and, of course, coffee. However, sales and profits have been terrible. I regret taking over, but I didn’t really have a choice—my husband is a business partner of the former café owner, and he wanted me to take over so the previous owner could focus on their new business.

Since then, I’ve been using my own money to cover bills, staff wages, and other expenses. Unfortunately, our cooks aren’t trained to come up with new recipes or ideas—they can only follow what they’ve been taught. We do have an oven that we use to make pizzas from scratch, so I thought I could try learning to bake by watching YouTube videos.

The problem is, I’m completely new to baking and have no idea where to start. I’m not looking to make huge profits or get rich—I just want to make enough to pay my staff without constantly putting my own money into the business.

Could you please help me figure out where to begin? Are there books, videos, or online classes you’d recommend for a beginner like me? Any guidance would mean so much. Thank you!