When everyone was stuck at home during ‘Circuit Breaker’ feeling forlorn, one Singaporean man was toiling away in his kitchen, baking his hopes and dreams.
They took the form of Paparch basque burnt cheesecakes, baked and enveloped beautifully in brown paper parchment.
Lufi was no ordinary Circuit Baker. His masterfully crafted cakes have captivated a steady legion of followers, who used to be known for mashing together the words ‘I want!’ on every Instagram post.
With every box of creamy decadence delivered comes a sigh of relief and a sense of accomplishment as Lufi finds himself one step closer to his vision of success.
MS News caught up with the sole baker and founder of the social media sensation to find out how things have changed for him now that we’re in a post-Covid era.
The pandemic was notorious for breaking rice bowls. But for Lufi, the timing was a blessing in disguise.
“It was truly a YOLO moment for me,” said the 36-year-old bachelor, who started Paparch in Feb 2020, right before the Covid-19 lockdown that drastically changed his business prospects for the better.
With no long-term commitments, the former head chef of a European restaurant dove right into being his own boss. His parents also gave him their blessings.
A cheesecake lover himself, Lufi had spent months perfecting his sacred recipe to create a cake that was a blend of the classic New York cheesecake and an ice cream cheesecake.
Image courtesy of Paparch
As with every new business owner, he was initially plagued by doubts as he had left his full-time job to build Paparch from scratch.
But they soon dissipated once business took off almost immediately. “The big boom was pretty much constant throughout the ‘Circuit Breaker’ period.”
Since he was – and still is – the only baker of Paparch, Lufi said it was an exciting but overwhelming time. “I had to fulfil all the orders and ensure quality control in everything I sent out.”
From as early as 5am all the way to 11pm, Lufi cut a solitary figure in his home kitchen amid stacks of Paparch boxes that would be used to pack the cheesecakes.
He did everything — from washing the baking tins, to folding the parchment paper and mixing the batter.
But it was all worth it because Singaporeans couldn’t get enough of his cheesecakes, torched evenly on the top while maintaining a gooey centre.
“At the height of the demand, Paparch’s team of drivers were delivering the cakes from 8am to midnight,” he related, adding that he was grateful for his customers’ patience as they were willing to wait for their cakes at odd timings.
After several months, he realised it was no longer sustainable to let customers go ham on the order form.
Paparch cheesecakes became exclusive, almost elusive even, as only several hundred slots were released weekly.
Even so, baking hundreds of cakes was intense. So after eight months, Lufi decided to move to a central kitchen, tucked away in the basement level of Citygate in Rochor.
At Paparch’s central kitchen in Citygate, Beach Road
“This was much more efficient than baking at home because I have a much bigger space and oven,” he said.
He revealed that the kitchen was spacious enough for him to store a bed, where he could take power naps during his gruelling work hours.
But what happens if Lufi, a one-man team, has to take MC? To this, he said he’s thankful as he hardly ever falls sick. He does his best to take care of his health too.
“If I do feel unwell, I will push through it as the business still has to go on.
Knowing that the business depends on me and is like my child, I devote my life to it. It keeps me going
Such resplendent success is almost unheard of for home-based businesses. But if you ask Lufi what his secret is, he thinks the chaos simply culminated in the perfect storm for his business to take off.
Image courtesy of Paparch
“To be honest, there’s no secret to it. Paparch started at a time when home-based businesses were well-received in Singapore during the pandemic.
“At the same time, it was the perfect timing as, during the start of the business, the customers’ trends and preferences were skewed towards desserts with a gooey, flowy consistency.
“Everything came together at the right timing,” he mused.
Despite the fame his business has gained, Lufi remains an enigma to many as he’s a little camera-shy.
I’m quite a private person, and I want the brand to be all about the cake and not me.
Now that Singapore has transitioned beyond the pandemic outbreak, Lufi said the business’ initial furious pace has slowed as it does with every other food trend.
For customers, this means there’s no more need to camp at Paparch’s Instagram account, waiting for the opportune moment to shout, “I want!”
Ordering Paparch cakes has turned into a more relaxed process. The website allows you to choose the cake and delivery date available in the system.
“But we have a steady following of regular customers whose constant support I’m always grateful for.
“Most of my customers now view my basque burnt cheesecake as a classic go-to cake for celebrations or just something to satisfy their dessert cravings,” he shared.
To tackle the change in pace and keep things interesting, Lufi said he recently launched a mini version of the coveted cheesecakes. They come in five inches of goodness compared to the original size of seven inches.
“The mini size is perfect for smaller groups of two to three, so they don’t have to commit to a big cake. They can also be more adventurous with the flavours,” he added.
Image courtesy of Paparch
Apart from the classic cheesecake flavour, there are also six new ones in store today:
While keeping the business alive and well was more challenging at the start, to the point where Lufi had to FaceTime his loved ones instead of meeting them in person, things are a lot better now for him.
Processes have been made efficient, reducing his working hours to five to six hours daily. That’s more than enough time for him to spare for his hobbies and reconnect with family.
What’s next after having a taste of resounding success in the last two years? “Currently, I am exploring the idea of expanding the business further overseas and having the products available in our neighbouring countries,” he revealed.
As plans are still being developed, Lufi wants to keep the deets hush-hush for now.
“You’ll know in due time,” he said with a smile. Just like Paparch’s customers who used to camp for news of 300 cakes ready for order, we wait with bated breath.
Know more successful business owners like Lufi? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image by MS News.
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