Yuumi

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I made a new friend in Osaka.
Her name is Yuumi Suzuki.
In kanji, it reads 優美 鈴木.
At the end of our chat, as we prepared to say goodbye at the cafe's entrance (or exit, depending on which side you stood, if you were coming or going), I asked if she'd type the characters of her name into my Notes. I handed her my phone. Under her thumbs, the space gleaming white in expectance only a moment ago was now contented, her name flowing onto the page like coffee into white porcelain.
It was only later when I was back at the apartment and finally took a proper look that I realised it—what a beautiful name she has. How well it suits her.
優美. No sooner had my eyes met the words than it rang a bell: The feeling I had when I entered the cafe, and again when the first bite of sakura chocolate financier burst into a spring shower of confetti inside my mouth could be described as such: A sense of 優美. An elusive beauty. A melody not heard but felt.
Yuumi is the founder and chief baker of Epitome. A cosy, light-hearted cafe where she serves all who come through its door fresh gluten-free bakes, really good coffee, and a parenthesis of happiness.
Yuumi, its resemblance to "yummy" made me ponder the mythology of one's raison d'être: Could our fate be written in our name all along?
***

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"I believe in destiny," she said. "I felt destined to this shop."
It was a little over two years ago when Yuumi had made up her mind that she would open her own cafe. Once the decision had taken root in her heart, she set out in search for the right place for it. A place to plant her dream.
“It was winter then, in December. My husband and I were taking a walk around here one day when I found this shop,” she spoke slowly, in English, her memory carrying her back to that day.
“It was really cold and snowing. So, there weren’t many people walking around.” Naturally, concerned ones around her did not believe this location to be a good idea. But she did—believe. Despite what was evident to the eye and the well-intentioned advice in her ear, Yuumi followed her heart.
“I felt this was it.”
And so this came to be the home of Epitome, which just celebrated its second anniversary. 🎂

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In April, the cafe is surrounded by a vibrant park showcasing its spring collection of flowers and colours, the poetic pink of sakura petals in the wind and in one’s path, a festival of hanami picnics, the laughter of children, the aria of aosagis. An omnipresent energy of serenity courtesy of the Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine. On a weekday afternoon, customers familiar and new flow in and out of the cafe like jazz. An altogether different picture from that cold winter’s day she had described.
***
In the midst of our chat, a little girl bursts through the door and runs straight towards Yuumi for a hug. "She loves the banana cake." A child’s love is honest. This banana cake, Yuumi tells me afterwards, is a hit with the little ones as young as a one-year-old baby of a regular customer.
Intermittently throughout our conversation, she would excuse herself to greet her customers, have morsels of chitchat and attend to their orders. As I watched, it became clear to me that what she had built here in the last two years is not merely a cafe, but a mini community.

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If you build it, they will come. There was no way she could have known it then, and perhaps it was a matter of right place, right time, right opportunity. “Many people around here started to eat gluten free, and they started coming here,” she reflected. But a gluten-free cafe wasn’t part of her original plan. So this bit, too, feels like Destiny had her divine hand in the mix.
“I initially planned to focus on wheat-based baking, but when my sister got pregnant, she developed allergies and could not take wheat and white sugar. That was when I changed my mind and started learning to bake with rice flour and brown sugar instead.”
***
💇🏻‍♀️  >>>From hairdresser to cafe owner >>> ☕️🧁

When is the seed of a dream planted? And what does it take for it to break the surface and blossom into something beautiful and enjoyable not solely by the dreamer but all who encounter it?
Before Epitome rose into being, Yuumi had worked as a hairdresser. I could barely hide my surprise at this revelation. She laughed, concurring. And when she was growing up, her dream was to work with animals, perhaps as a dolphin trainer. So...
I wondered, was it when she visited the beautiful island of Palau in her 20s that opened her eyes to new horizons? Was it 10 years ago when she found herself surrounded by a cafe culture in New Zealand that fascinated and inspired her so much that she asked her barista friend to teach her the art of making coffee? Or was it when she was running pop-ups with bakers and cafes in her hairdressing days, egged on by many to start something of her own?
There's no knowing for sure. The only sure thing is: As she was busy living life, making the most of each day, a new dream was born.

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The cafe opened with but five kinds of pastries. “Gluten-free pastries made with rice flour are not common around here,” she said. “They are not typically as tasty as regular cakes and bread made with wheat flour.” The mission she assigned herself then was to create gluten-free recipes that are actually delicious.
Outside of a few baking classes, she mostly taught herself and pursued ideas and knowledge through research, Instagram, excursions to other cafes, and a whole lot of experimenting and practice.
“Every day I baked, and I learned from experience, following my feeling as I went.” It took her over a year of doing pop-ups and feeding friends and family for feedback before she felt confident enough of her recipes to put them on the menu. As her confidence grows, so does her creativity and repertoire, surprising customers with fresh flavours whenever a new season arrives or inspiration strikes.
***

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There are spaces that, as soon as you step inside, imbues comfort and gladness. An energy shift both subtle and palpable. The delight of small, quiet details sprung from care, thoughtfulness and sincerity. The whimsical arrangement of products on a shelf. The delicateness of each scone and financier on display. The handwritten description cards. The way a slice is wrapped to be taken home. The way time waltzes inside the space.
Things that appear effortless are often the result of a great deal of effort behind the scenes. Despite the calmness of Yuumi’s demeanour and the atmosphere she has created at Epitome, the trials and obstacles of a creator/entrepreneur’s journey—from the starting point to now, from day to day—don’t escape me. When I brought this up, her face lit up with gratitude, followed by an audible exhalation that might have waited a long time to be heard. “Ahh~ You know! Thank you!”
Challenges are par for the course when running a business. But when it is your dream and you are doing it on your own terms at your own pace, then it is possible to not just withstand the heat, but to appreciate it, use it. After all, without (a right amount of) heat, the gooey batter will never know the beautiful cake it was meant to become.
“I don’t feel that the challenges are difficult," Yuumi ruminates. "I really enjoy it here. It was really hard when I was working as a hairdresser. When I compare that to this, I can say I am very happy now.”
So it’s true then. When you do what you love, that love can move mountains.
“Yeah, just enjoy,” she smiled.
***

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With these two words at heart and a strawberry chocolate scone in hand, I strolled out of the cafe in the direction of the park. Turning around to take one last look, my gaze locked onto the three cats on the window, their heads craning over the word "Epitome". Yummi had designed the logo to keep her beloved cats close. "Two of them have passed on," she had told me earlier. "It's like they're right here watching over me and the cafe".
Perhaps destiny* is pre-determined and out of our hands—where we were born, the name we have been given... It is also possible that destiny is a matter of following our hearts each day and choosing what we love over and over. Pursuing our dream until it pursues us. For Yuumi, that's coffee, cakes and happy customers.
***

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Me: When you bake, who are you baking for? 
Yuumi: People with (gluten) allergies, but also for those who love sweets. And of course, for the people I care about.
Me: What do you wish for every person who steps through the door of Epitome and tastes your creations to feel? 
Yuumi: I want everyone, including people with allergies or those who choose a gluten-free diet, to enjoy my creations. That’s why I try to make them so that they don’t feel like typical gluten-free products.
Me: Where do you draw ideas or inspiration from?
Yuumi: I get inspiration from trying different foods, visiting other cafes, and talking to my family, friends and customers about what they like. I’m also influenced by overseas cafes from my travels and from what I see on Instagram. I've always wanted to do something that makes people happy. 
Me: In the pursuit of your dream, what have been the most unforgettable and important lessons learned about the work you do, and about yourself?
Yuumi: 

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Me: Do you think it is important for a woman to follow her heart when considering her work, love and how she wishes to live her life?
Yuumi: For work, yes—I think it’s important to follow your heart and do what you really want to do. But in life, it’s not always that simple. I think balance is important. It also depends on what stage of life you're at.
Me: What are the ups and downs of following your heart?
Yuumi: The ups are enjoying good food with people I love, and sharing those moments. The downs are when business is affected by things like the weather (things out of my control)."
Me: How do you keep the passion of your dream alight after it has become your work and business?
Yuumi: For me, it’s the best feeling to know that something I made makes people happy. When my products sell well, it means the business is doing well, but also that many people are enjoying what I create. And simply being able to make something delicious makes me happy.
Me: When you are not working, what do you do to care for yourself, to rejuvenate your heart, body, mind and soul? 
Yuumi: Have nice coffee at other cafes, delicious food, connect with nature, watch anime or movies, see my family and friends chatting forever. I also care about stomach massage. It’s very popular now in Japan, both for health and beauty reasons. It’s a bit expensive but effective. I think I, too, have a bit of gluten allergy so that if I eat (regular) pasta or bread, I get a headache or rash. I find the stomach massages help, and I do that once a month.
Me: Could you recommend one of your favourite cafes in Osaka?
Yuumi: 

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Me: Is there a woman who is your greatest inspiration and role model?
Yuumi: There are many women who inspire me, but my grandmother is probably the most important one.
Me: What to you is the epitome of a happy life?
Yuumi: Right now, I feel like I’m already living it.

*Epilogue

I keep returning to the first time I visited Epitome. In the blissful bubble of my window seat, sipping my morning oat latte, I was faced with two decisions: To walk out content with fond memories of this brief experience, or walk up to the women behind the counter with my Google-translated self-introduction and request for an interview with the cafe owner.

Between what exists in our reality and what shall forever remain a blurry what-if in some corner of our minds lies the choice we make, or don’t. To be or not to be. Our lives are constantly one decision away from being something else. This story, these photos and a new connection, for example, exist because of—gosh—how many thousands upon thousands of tiny little decisions between Yuumi and me until our paths met?

What choices will you make today? Will you wake up and choose to follow your heart? Will you choose your own happiness? I hope you do.

💗