From Dough to Dreams – Podcast Interview
Living in Australia, I’ve never been much into cakes and other baked treats, mostly because I find them generally too sweet and too dense. Also, with my already carb-heavy Asian diet (thanks to rice & noodles), I’m inclined to eat cake only if it’s pretty exceptional.
Which brings me to The Takoyaki Bakery, a Japanese baked goods stall that started operating a few months ago at the same monthly market I’m at ie. Concord Hospital Market.
The first time we saw The Takoyaki Bakery stall signage, I assumed their signature menu item would be takoyaki (squid-stuffed savoury balls cooked in moulds), but in fact, they don’t sell takoyaki at all.
What they do sell is even better – handcrafted Japanese baked treats that are delicate, light and airy, with just the right (Asian) level of sweetness.
The person behind the business is Ayano, who, as it turns out, has more in common with me than I realised when she first came by our stall and introduced herself – I quit my career as an IT engineer to cook Malaysian food; Ayano quit her career as a doctor (I know, right?) to bake Japanese treats.
Ever since our first encounter, Paul and I have been obsessed with Ayano’s products – I remember we shared her Matcha Almond Croissant between us in the van on our way home after Concord Hospital Market day, and right afterwards we decided we couldn’t wait a whole month before we got to eat it again, so we started googling The Takoyaki Bakery’s social media accounts for her market schedule.
Don’t tell her, but I even started looking up “Japanese baked recipes” to see if I could attempt making these treats myself, without any luck. (The closest I could find was a recipe for regular Almond Croissants, which I tweaked by reducing the sugar and adding matcha/pandan powder – but it was a very poor dupe of The Takoyaki Bakery’s version and a cold reminder for me to stay in my Malaysian cooking lane.)
Apart from The Takoyaki Bakery, Ayano has also recently launched her own podcast on Spotify called From Dough to Dreams, which…
“…is a podcast exploring the stories behind people in the food industry — from market stall owners to purpose-driven food businesses.
Hosted by Ayano from The Takoyaki Bakery, each episode dives into how people turn what they love into a sustainable, meaningful, and abundant life.
We talk about the real journey — the struggles, the money, the wins, and what it truly means to build a life through food.”
It just so happens that yours truly was the first guest on From Dough to Dreams; you can catch our conversation here –
The Takoyaki Bakery’s calendar is getting very packed lately, with some big annual events along with regular monthly markets, which is great news for those of us looking to get our fix of Japanese baked goods in Sydney; Ayano regularly posts her schedule on Instagram, so it’s definitely an account I would recommend you follow.
When you drop in at her stall, make sure you also say hello to Ayano’s mom, who is her biggest supporter and helper, with her own inspiring backstory as a first-generation Japanese immigrant to Australia.
Follow The Takoyaki Bakery on Instagram –Instagram.com/the_takoyaki_bakery/
Follow the podcast on Spotify – From Dough to Dreams
Concord Hospital Market runs once a month from 9am-2pm, usually on the last Thursday, at The Green (entry via Gate 2, Hospital Road, Concord).
Check Ayano’s calendar on Instagram to make sure she’s attending before you show up, since she’s very busy with all her events.
