Meet Alynn Martin

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alynn Martin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alynn below.

Alynn, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I knew I wanted to be a chef owner at a young age, from the countless food experiments to playing with my toy kitchen, the chef life was for me! I remember in Fourth grade we were asked to do a PowerPoint on what job we’d like to have in the future and my presentation was on the presumption I would end up a coffee shop/ bakery owner. Well here I am at 26, working farmers markets and events selling my home baked treats. Close enough! Eventually my husband and I will settle down and open a coffee shop or B and B style business.

I see my purpose as providing people a glimmer of happiness through excellent service and delicious baked goods! Seeing the smile people get after eating the food I’ve made has always been the most gratifying experience for me. Even as I’ve made mistakes in my cooking ( like the pumpkin pie I made one year as a kid with salt instead of sugar which my dad kindly powered through with a lot of whip cream and a grimace on his face… thanks dad.) and struggling with feeling like a worthy chef, every sale I make, every repeat customer, makes me feel as though my purpose has been renewed. I do feel very lucky that I have seemingly always known my purpose, from the moment I tasted my mother’s cooking, I thought “I want to do this. I want to make people experience this happiness.” And with that thought in my mind I went through elementary, middle, high, and culinary school, determined to be a chef!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I grew up in Okinawa, Japan. I spent 10 years of my elementary, middle, and highschool life on the island. I owe alot of the inspiration for my business to my time there. Okinawan culture has had a HUGE influence on my mindset and ideals. My sister and I used to hit the konbini’s (convenience stores) or bakery’s every day for a snack after school. In starting my business I thought to myself, “what kind of vibe do I want my bakery to give off?” Then I remember the Melon pan from the bakeries in Japan. I hadn’t really seen any fresh made Melon pan around Arizona. That was my “Aha!” moment I want to be a traveling konbini style bakery! Eventually my goal is to get a Japanese kei truck style food stall! I want to give the people here a little taste of the nostalgia I experienced in Okinawa while doing what I love.

I would also love to bring the element of cosplay into my business as I semi have already. My friend KibaDraws and I share a booth and collaborate her art with my baked goods at some conventions and farmers markets! We like to cosplay for these events because it’s fun and brings another level of interaction between us and our customers. We aim to put together a traveling cosplay cafe occasionally! Someday we hope we can create an environement where people can enjoy art, cosplay, and tasty treats in a safe, healthy atmosphere.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

In my opinion, the three most important qualities and skills I developed in this line of work were: confidence, individuality/creativity, and my culinary skills.

I really had to build my confidence to be able to continue working in this field. There are so many amazing chefs out there creating ground breaking concepts, sometimes it’s hard to feel like you’re making the most out of career. I have many friends who have won tv show challenges like “Chopped” and one of my mentors is an Iron Chef. Often I found it hard to “compete” with that (even though I’m never actually competing with anyone except my own brain.) With amazing friends like these it can be difficult to feel amazing yourself. BUT! I finally became the main character in my life when I decided to open my bakery. I really thought to myself, why do I have to be groundbreaking? Why do I have to try to be amazing? The answer was right in front of me! I don’t HAVE to try! I am amazing in my own way. And in finding that confidence I’ve realized that I am doing what I love! I love creating cute animals out of bread. I love making melon pan. I am confident in these skills I have worked so hard to develop. When I started my business I was finally given the shove I needed to really believe in myself. For those of you looking for that push to start your own journey, I was told the wise words by a customer: “kill your imposter syndrome, she’s a biyatch.”

This brings me to my next point! I have always been told by schools and work that I need to “tone it down.” with my brightly colored hair, gothic clothing, and dare for flair attitude. I admired the Gyarus and Menhera fashionistas on Harajuku street. I have always been a creative individual. From the food I make to the clothes I wear, I view each as an art form to be expressed. Piercings? I have them. Tattoos? Yep, got those too. White chef coats? No, those are no for me. I will take black chef coats and skull bandanas with bold makeup any day. I believe that my creativity with my food and my appearance has set me apart from other bakeries. I am very niche, Japanese style breads with anime and goth undertones, yes. But that’s why I decided to start! To make treats and breads for the people like me! Who doesn’t love supporting a small business owner you have a connection with?

Now for the skill I cultivated over time: cooking/baking. I have been cooking and baking for MANY years. I used to watch my mom in the kitchen, constantly asking her what this was or why did she do that? Hey mom, can you tell me about this bread that you learned from Nana? I was always a curious kid. I have experimented with many different flavors. I used to think milk was too boring so I added honey, nutmeg and cinnamon then warmed it up. This has helped me develop a palate and understand different flavor profiles immensely. I took home economics in middle school, then culinary classes in high school, and eventually I went to culinary school. I was always fascinated with just learning about food. How it works, the science behind it, why certain flavors paired together. Growing up in Japan was also very educational in learning that different cultures develop different “desirable” flavor profiles in the cuisine. Like the famous “not to sweet” compliment. To be a chef you do not have to go to culinary school, but in my case, it satisfied some of my curiosity! I will always keep experimenting! Did I make a strawberry rhubarb Manju with potatoes instead of An because I didn’t have an? Yes! Was it fantastic? Also yes! Never stop being curious and always keep developing your skills, no matter what job you take!

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

Whenever I do articles I am always mentioning my family. My family also extends beyond blood relations for sure.

My parents and my sister have been with me since birth and loved me not matter what. They have stuck by me when I came out, through each and every move, and they were my number one supporters when I decided to open up Amaiume. My sister has helped me stay on track with my business. She will help me come up with menu ideas and taste my treats for me to see if it’s how we remember. She also keeps me from burnout by making sure I take breaks to hang with her and treat myself to some shopping! My family have always been my number 1 supporters. They have always told me to just go for it. Success is a matter of mindset, my parents taught me that. I may not be making millions but to me my business is successful, we’re not in debt, we’re growing in audience, and I’ve had many repeat customers! One of which being my Aunty T. Because of her loving my bread so much, during the toughest of summers I stayed in business. She has been a rock in helping me pursue this small business. The reason my website looks so polished? Aunt T. She is super savvy with computers and knows what people are looking for in a website so I immediately turned to her for help! Thank you aunty for passing your wonderful knowledge of websites to me!

Now, My husband and my in laws. My husband is also a chef. He is my business partner and best friend. He and I constantly are developing new recipes together and building our business from the ground up as we go. Whenever I have trouble with a recipe he sits with me and we determine the cause of the issue and vice versa. We both certainly learn from each other. I often need him to taste test things for me to make sure they’re up to par with American taste buds. My in laws also often are my taste testers now as well! They have provided me with so much input and knowledge about running a business. (Something I really had to learn about) my Mother and Father in law have been extremely helpful with finding events, providing tables and a canopy for me, and getting me some business supplies I didn’t even know I needed!

Lastly, my friends. From both Okinawa and the states. Both have helped me stay committed on my journey to bring konbini style snacks to Arizona. My dear friends Chi and Kei helping me work my booth and buying treats from me. My lovely friend Kana for helping with finding treat ideas all the way from Japan. And my sensei’s, for teaching me patience, practice and humility. I would not be where I am without any of them.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Amaiume Bakery. We hope to continue providing you with the best we have to offer!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amaiumebakery.com
• Instagram: Amaiume_bakery
• Facebook: Amai Ume Bakery (https://m.facebook.com/amaiumebakery?mibextid=LQQJ4d)
• Yelp: AmaiUme Bakery
• Other: Tiktok: Amai_ume

Image Credits

@itsakiba_