At just 23, Anusha Gurung is turning long hours, homesickness and hard work into a recipe for success — with one big dream: her very own bakery and café in Dubai.

Words by GO! Dubai Press & Media

There is something wonderfully inspiring about a young person who knows exactly where she wants to go — even when the road ahead is long.

At just 23 years old, Anusha Gurung is already building the foundations of what she hopes will one day become her greatest achievement: a bakery and café of her own in Dubai.

Her journey began in Nepal, but her ambitions brought her to the UAE. She came to Dubai not simply looking for a job, but determined to learn, train and gain the professional experience she would need to eventually become her own boss.

Behind the beautifully decorated cakes and delicate pastries, however, lies a less glamorous reality: early starts, long shifts, physical and mental exhaustion, pressure to deliver perfection and the emotional challenge of living far away from the people she loves most.

Yet Anusha continues.

For her, every long day is another step towards the day when she can finally turn the key, open the doors of her own bakery and welcome her first customers.

Q: Anusha, you are only 23. Where did your love of baking begin?

Anusha: I have always been fascinated by baking. I love seeing how simple ingredients can become something beautiful. There is creativity involved, but also a lot of discipline and precision.

Over time, I realised that baking wasn’t something I wanted to do only as a hobby. I wanted to make it my profession and eventually build something of my own.

Q: Was coming to Dubai part of that plan?

Anusha: Yes. I came to Dubai because I wanted to learn and gain experience.

Dubai is such an international city, especially when it comes to hospitality. You meet people from so many different cultures and you are exposed to very high standards.

I knew that if I wanted to have my own bakery one day, I needed to understand the industry properly first. I wanted to learn the techniques, the discipline and also what it takes to work in a professional kitchen.

“I didn’t come to Dubai because the journey would be easy. I came because I wanted to build my future.”

Q: What is the reality behind the beautiful cakes people see?

Anusha: It is definitely not as easy as it looks.

There are long hours, busy days and a lot of pressure. Sometimes you are tired, but you still have to concentrate and make sure everything is right.

When people see a beautiful cake, they don’t see all the preparation behind it. They don’t see the early mornings, the cleaning, the repetition, the mistakes and the hours spent trying to perfect something.

But that’s part of learning.

Q: Have you faced moments when you questioned your decision?

Anusha: Yes, there have been difficult moments.

Sometimes you are physically exhausted. Sometimes you miss your family so much that you wish you could just be back home.

When you are far away from your family, even small things can feel difficult. You miss birthdays, celebrations and ordinary family moments.

But whenever I feel like that, I remind myself of my goal.

I know why I am here.

Q: How much do you miss Nepal?

Anusha: A lot.

Nepal is my home and my family is very important to me. Being away from them is one of the hardest sacrifices I have made.

There are days when I really wish I could sit with my family, have a meal together or simply spend time with them.

But they support me and believe in what I am trying to achieve. That gives me strength.

Q: What has Dubai taught you that you didn’t expect?

Anusha: So many things.

Of course, I have learned about pastry and baking, but I have also learned about discipline, responsibility, teamwork and dealing with pressure.

I am also learning about the business side. When I eventually have my own bakery, I don’t want to know only how to make cakes.

I want to understand everything — ingredients, suppliers, costs, staff, customer service and how to create a successful business.

Q: Tell us about the bakery you dream of opening.

Anusha: I want it to be warm, beautiful and welcoming.

I want people to come in and immediately feel comfortable. Of course, there will be cakes, pastries and coffee, but I want it to be more than that.

I would love to bring some of my Nepali background into the concept as well, perhaps through flavours, recipes or small details in the design.

I want it to have its own identity.

And most importantly, I want people to leave happy.

Q: Why Dubai?

Anusha: Dubai has become a very special place for me.

It is a city where people from all over the world come together. There are so many opportunities, but you have to work hard and be prepared.

I believe that if you have a good idea, patience and determination, you can build something here.

I want to be part of that.

Q: Your dream is still a few years away. Does that ever frustrate you?

Anusha: Sometimes I wish it could happen tomorrow!

But I also know that I am not ready yet — and that’s okay.

I want to use the next couple of years to gain more experience, continue learning and save towards my future.

Opening a bakery is a huge responsibility. I don’t want to rush it and then regret it. I want to open when I know I am ready.

Q: When you imagine the opening day, what do you see?

Anusha: I see myself standing inside my own bakery early in the morning.

Everything is ready. The cakes and pastries are prepared. The coffee machine is working. Then the doors open and the first customers come in.

I think I will feel very emotional.

Because I will remember everything that happened before that moment — all the long hours, the difficult days, being away from my family and all the things I had to learn.

And I will know that I didn’t give up.

Q: What would you say to another young person with a big dream?

Anusha: Start where you are.

You don’t need to have everything immediately. Learn, work hard and take every opportunity to improve yourself.

There will be difficult days. There will be mistakes. There will be moments when you are tired and wonder whether it is worth continuing.

But if you really believe in your dream, don’t give up.

I am only 23. I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go.

But I believe that one day I will open my own bakery and café here in Dubai.

And when I do, I will know that every long day was worth it.

A DREAM IN THE MAKING

For Anusha Gurung, the journey is still unfolding. There is no grand bakery bearing her name — not yet.

For now, there are early mornings, long shifts, lessons learned and sacrifices made.

But perhaps that is what makes her story so compelling.

Because behind every successful business is a beginning. And sometimes, that beginning is a 23-year-old girl from Nepal, standing in a Dubai kitchen, covered in flour, tired after another long day — but still dreaming.

Her bakery may not have opened its doors yet.

But the dream is already under construction.