Connie Gilana’s passion for baking

by Lucille Nolasco

Concepcion “Connie” Gilana has a passion for cooking. She’s almost always in the kitchen whipping up delicious dishes for her loved ones to enjoy. But when her hands experienced weakness due to carpal tunnel syndrome, she looked for a way to continue cooking that would be easier for her hands. She started baking.

“I started watching baking videos on YouTube,” Connie said. “My first customers were my family. If it wasn’t good they would tell me. Then I would give some to my friends who told me they liked what I made and encouraged me to sell.”

Through trial and error, and more YouTube videos, she was able to put together her own unique recipe to make various baked treats. She also started selling cakes through her business, Connie’s Cakes.

“My favourite to make are cakes. They’re easy for me, especially my ube cake.”

After just a year and a half of baking, Connie joined her first ever competition, The Greatest Baker.

According to its website, The Greatest Baker Competition is an annual online baking contest for home bakers in partnership with Bake From Scratch magazine. It raises money for a charity supporting children with cancer. The winner takes home a $10,000 prize, a feature in the magazine and the title of Greatest Baker, determined by public voting and judges’ picks.

Voting started on December 1st and Connie is currently in the top 15.

“Win or lose, I am happy to be able to join and be recognized for my baking skills. It’s already an achievement.

Never stop learning new things. It’s not too late to achieve your goals and always be thankful for what you have.”