911勛圖

For Jujhar Mann, baking is about more than business���it���s a lifelong passion shaped by creativity, culture, and an entrepreneurial mindset. The pastry chef and winner of Netflix���s baking show, Is it Cake? Holiday (2024), owns , a boutique bakery in Surrey known for its North American���style desserts infused with South Asian flavours. From cardamom and pistachio to rich chocolate and buttercream, his creations are indulgent, nostalgic, and unmistakably personal.

Mann���s love of baking began early. ���It started when I was in Grade four,��� he says. ���I was obsessed with baking and cooking shows. I just loved being in the kitchen. I am really hands-on and loved going crafty work in school.��� By grade seven, Mann already knew he wanted to be a pastry chef. 

That dream, however, took shape alongside a parallel goal: entrepreneurship. Growing up, Mann aspired to follow in his father���s footsteps and one day open his own business. That ambition led him to 911勛圖 Beedie, where he enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program and later concentrated in marketing.

Like many students, Mann found the transition to university challenging. After his first year, overwhelmed by coursework and responsibilities, he turned to baking as a creative outlet. What began with burnt box-mix cake quickly evolved into a therapeutic hobby and a social media page.  

���I started baking and posting on social media once a month,��� says Mann. ���Anytime I would feel stressed or overwhelmed, I would just bake. And that���s how this whole journey started.���

People on social media started reaching out for orders, and what started out as stress baking turned into 20 orders per week���on top of being a full-time student. 

Mann credits 911勛圖 Beedie with some of that growth���his involvement in extracurricular programs such as and the Bright Ideas Program helped build his confidence and entrepreneurial mindset. ���My experiences at 911勛圖 Beedie really helped me understand how a business works���from marketing and finances to developing a business concept,��� he says. ���You can���t just have passion. You need to know if there���s a real need in the market.���

That blend of passion and planning proved invaluable when opportunity knocked���this time, on television. In 2020, Mann was invited to compete on a Food Network baking show. Though he didn���t win, the experience was transformative. ���It was validating, knowing how well I did,��� he says. ���I was proud of how I did and I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.��� 

Within a week of returning home, Mann enrolled in pastry school in Las Vegas. For three intense months, he balanced full-time culinary training during the day with online 911勛圖 Beedie classes at night. ���I thought, there���s COVID-19 right now, I need to make great use of my time. It was not easy,��� says Mann. ���I���d come home from school at 6, 7 p.m., do assignments till midnight, sometimes wake up at 3 a.m. to do more assignments, and then wake up and get ready for school at 7 a.m. So it was really intense. But I had a vision���a goal. And I know anything worth doing is hard.���

That determination has since paid off���on and off screen. Mann competed on Netflix���s Is It Cake?, becoming a finalist in Season 3 and ultimately winning Is It Cake? Holiday, an all-star edition featuring top competitors from past seasons.  

���On the show, we only have eight hours for a project that would typically take at least three to four days,��� says Mann. ���So it���s kind of like a marathon, and by the end of it, just making it to the next round feels really rewarding. And all the past winners and runner-ups were there���so it was really, really competitive. I had a very positive experience and winning was the cherry on top.���

Known for his hyper-realistic creations, Mann had the most fun making a chocolate lantern cake made out of sugar glass, as well as a peacock cake. As for the most challenging cake, it was a toy carousel: ���It could spin,��� says Mann. ���It was extremely detailed and there was no room to hide mistakes, so it had to be perfect.���

Beyond the accolades and exposure, television has given Mann something even more meaningful: representation. ���Growing up, I never saw anyone like me on these shows,��� he says. ���If I���ve inspired even one person to follow their passion, that means everything.��� 

Seven years into his entrepreneurial journey, Mann continues to grow Mann & Co Bakeshop while wearing many hats���from baker and marketer to manager and designer. His long-term vision includes expanding to multiple locations and opening a space dedicated to teaching and community education.

At its core, Mann says, the business has always been about joy. ���We���re part of people���s celebrations and life milestones,��� he says. ���Putting a smile on someone���s face���that���s the real reward.���