Losing parents at a young age did not stop Jackson Igoma from striving hard in life aware that it was probably his only way out in life. The 29 year- old narrated that growing up, he had multiple talents which he believed were inborn. He loved art ranging from singing, drawing to imitating other people as well as playing different sports. This, he said, would be proved in many medals he would win in different sports while in primary and high school. After high school, Igoma wasn’t lucky enough to further his studies because of financial challenges. He noted that he thought of doing something with his life and this is when the idea of drawing came. “As a child, one of the things I enjoyed most was drawing, I figured out how this skill could be beneficial to my life since I had to find means of making a living,” he said. In 2015, Igoma resorted to using his drawing skills in designing and drawing on cakes. To perfect what he was good at, he decided to enroll for a short course in pastry at Pastry and Baking Cakes in Kigali to gain more knowledge. By the help of a specialist known as Thierry Niyonteze, founder of House of Cakes, he said the course helped him perfect his skills. Baking with passion After the course, Igoma said he wanted to make a difference in the baking industry as a whole, which prompted him to come up with a different baking, taste, decoration and even in terms of prices (less expensive) as he wanted more people to afford. Unlike others, one thing that stands out with his work is creation of realistic-looking patterns and designs ranging from flowers to items and objects. “I do this with passion because of the love I have for drawing, to me I would say I draw better than I talk and in this case for instance, drawing is a vision on the cakes I make. In a nutshell, there is nothing as delightful as drawing,” he expressed. Igoma, who now works with three different cake shops noted that he is delightful because he found a place where he can express his emotions and feelings which is through cake decorating. Besides, depending on customers’ needs and preferences, he ensures that he knows what they want and need so that he meets their demands. Also, what simplifies his work more is that while dealing with clients, he first let them know about the types of quality ingredients he uses so that at the end, both parties are satisfied with the end product. Going forward, baking has helped him become an individual with positive thinking. Besides, it has as well helped him create connections with different people who have become of great importance in not only his career but also in terms of impacting his life in general. His future plans he said is to first open up his own bakery with Coffee shop in different parts of the country. Also, he anticipates opening up Branches in East African’s Countries. “All these I am working towards them because I have visualized what I want to be in the few years to come. I believe at the moment what is needed is dedication and hard work,” he added. -- You can reach Jackson Igoma on +250 788 988 028.
