How Chef Wado Siman went from scriptwriter to baking for stars
We often chase the careers we think we (or others) want, only to discover that our true passions lie elsewhere. Take, for instance, Wado Siman, a scriptwriter who found his calling in the art of baking.
Before he became a baker to the stars (he has served the likes of Andrea Brillantes, Kathryn Bernardo, Catriona Gray, Rhian Ramos, to name a few), Siman was discouraged by his parents to follow their footsteps in the food busioness after they realized the hardships that come with being in the food industry.
Siman took up Communication Arts and worked for a television network, but he knew deep inside that he wasn't where he was meant to be.
"It kind of felt empty for a while. It was fun, it was paying really well, but at the same time, I felt na I had to be some place else. Hindi siya yung lugar for me," he said. "Sabi ko, 'Sige, I'll try cooking kasi baka ito na 'yung matagal kong gusto kong gawin."
After setting his sights on the pastry business and spending his entire savings on his first oven in 2012, Siman put on his apron and began his journey to becoming a baker. To describe it as difficult is an understatement, especially with his lack of background in the culinary space. He credits YouTube and his mentors for his success.
"Kapag food yung binibenta mo, people are gonna ask, saang culinary school ka nag-graduate? And I didn't have any of that," he added, saying that despite lacking "credibility," "everyone was very supportive."
Because of this, he decided to take a big leap and join the reality cooking competition The Clash: Search for the Next Great Dessert Master in 2014. Like a good underdog story, Siman showed that he had a natural flair for whipping up desserts despite his inexperience and eventually went on to become a finalist.
Reflecting on this, he shared, "I took the route of sumali ako ng reality shows just to prove na kahit hindi ako nag-aral, my passion for cooking and my passion for food can really put me on the map."
After achieving further success when he bagged the grand prize for Globe Pitch Tuesdays' search for the next big food entrepreneur, Siman was rolling in the dough and was finally able to establish his own cafe.
Starting a whisk-y business
When Siman officially opened Wadough's along Maginhawa Street in Quezon City, he thought that he had already reached the finish line of his journey.
"Sabi ko nga, I just want a space where I can sell my baked goods, I can have coffee and conversation with close friends, or even like random people who would like walk in the shop and have a coffee with me," he said.
But as luck would have it, Siman's minimalist cakes during the COVID-19 pandemic became a surprise hit among customers and completely changed his business for the better.
"The minimalist cakes were business-changing. It totally changed the direction for Wadough's kasi it was a time when it was very difficult for everyone, and to be honest, we were almost at the edge na nung time na 'yun," he recounted.
"That beautiful accident pushed us to expand and to become better, actually. We had to expand our kitchen, we had to get more staff, we had to hire," he added.
Thanks to Wadough's success, he has caught the attention of several celebrities. His most loyal customer is perhaps Andrea Brillantes, who bought a rainbow-themed cake from them to celebrate her 22nd birthday.
Siman's cakes were also made front and center during the baptism of Maxine Medina and Timmy Llana's son Zeke. Other celebrities who have enjoyed his sweets during special moments of their lives include Moira Dela Torre, Hidilyn Diaz, Melai Cantiveros, and more.
When asked what the experience is like to be able to serve famous faces in the country, the baker said, "'Just seeing them support a business like mine, parang masarap siya sa puso."
"Ako naman, kahit sino naman yan, celebrity or non-celebrity, parang it gives the same feeling of fulfillment kapag nakikita mo na they appreciate your food," he highlighted.
Just dough it
At the end of the day, Siman sees baking as his happiness and not just a means to live by, doing it to elevate the special moments of his beloved customers.
"I still don't see baking as a business or trabaho kasi I don't feel like working when I'm baking. I still enjoy baking kasi whenever I bake, I do it for the people I love," he emphasized.
"I bake because people are gonna use my cakes to celebrate something. We are part of a wedding, part of a birthday, part of a milestone, so it's a big thing for us," he added. "Hindi rin siya about the money. It's actually yung becoming part of something big."
Siman, who also opened an international comfort food restaurant called Brutal, has a simple advice to aspiring cooks: Just do it.
"Hindi mo malalaman if para sa'yo isang bagay unless you do it. Success really doesn't happen overnight. It took me 13 years to feel that I finally made it," Siman said. "When I was starting, ako bibili, ako magluluto, ako magbabake, ako maghuhugas, then ako yung magbebenta. It was very difficult, pero now that I'm here, ang masasabi ko lang, it's gonna be worth it."
"If you love cooking, if you love baking, if paggising mo sa umaga, the first place you'd want to be is inside the kitchen, and you're very, very passionate about cooking, gawin mo," he emphasized.
