Served Up by Nalu

Updated: May 14, 2022

Meet Nalupya.

She is a vivacious young lady, with a bright smile and a zest for life.

In September 2019, she began working part-time on her journey to becoming a chartered accountant, while devoting a significant amount of time every month in volunteer work.

Then the pandemic struck.

As with many people, while working from home, Nalupya suddenly found herself with more time on her hands than she knew what to do with. She decided there could be no better time to pursue her passion for baking. This was a project that had been on her mind for years, but each time she wanted to start on it, her courage would fail her. She was convinced she could never pull it off. Now, with the encouragement of her friends and family, especially her very supportive younger sister, she resolved to give it a go, one step at a time.

She began coming up with recipes and trying them out. Everyone was home and willing to try new things. Her family and friends were happy to be her "guinea pigs" and give her feedback. After all, what did they have to lose when they got to sample the delicious baked goods that only got better and better as Nalupya gained confidence in her baking skills? Baking made her happy and she wanted to share this joy with others.

As she became bolder, she realized that her avocation need not be just a short-term side effect of the pandemic. With her more flexible work schedule, she could actually turn it into a viable business. She would also be able to monitor the growth of the business. With the support of her sister, Ndazipa, she took the plunge and opened up her business, "Served up by Nalu", in September 2020.

Her sister has been an indescribable help in running the business. She manages the marketing aspect of the business, including the mouth-watering Instagram page which always leaves customers wanting more. She is also the brains behind some of the yummy treats on the menu.

A year and a half down the line, Nalupya cannot believe how far she has come. The business has grown beyond what she imagined. It has not been easy. She has had days when she has been on her feet in the kitchen for fourteen hours. Days of anxiety rushing from one supplier to another looking for the right ingredients. Days of late-night deliveries so that she does not disappoint clients. Some days she felt like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown and she just wanted to throw in the towel. But then she would remember why she started, how happy she always felt when she was preparing the food, looking forward to her clients’ feedback. Many of her memories are tied to sharing a good meal with friends and family, and so she associates good food with happiness.

Nalu feels she has also had a lot of personal growth during this period. Learning to handle more pressure and balancing her time between working her office job and running her business has helped her cultivate qualities she never knew she needed. She is glad she did not give up in her moments of tiredness, and does not regret the path she has taken. She has learnt many lessons, the biggest of them being, "Doing what you love may not be easy, but it will always be worth it."

She has many satisfied clients who just cannot get enough of her delectable treats.

These are some of the mouth-watering items on her menu: