From home bakers to cafe owners: How this couple started their dream sourdough bakery-cafe

“When I got married, I told my husband that he had to get me an oven.” 

That was the unconventional ultimatum that 36-year-old Gina Tan had insisted on, when she first moved into her Build-to-Order (BTO) flat with her husband Ethan Ng, 38.

Ever since Gina was a teenager, she’d been keen on trying her hand at baking, but never found the opportunity to. (At that point in time, she was also staying with her parents, and they didn’t own an oven.) 

So, when the couple had gotten hitched and their flat was finally ready, this kitchen appliance was the first thing on Gina’s mind.

It also happened to be the first — and most significant — present that Ethan ever purchased for her. 

Little did the couple know at that time but that trusty oven would be the impetus for Gina to start her own home-baking business, Baking With Gina, in 2016. 

Nine years on, Baking With Gina has transitioned into a full-fledged bakery-cafe at Farrer Park. Today, you might know it as Sourdough and Brew!

Coffee meets bagel 

Gina and Ethan’s meet-cute is something straight out of a romance novel.

“We met when I was working part-time at a chocolate shop,” recalls Gina, laughing. “Whenever I went to the washroom, I had to walk past the stationery store he was working at. He would look at me, and I would look at him.” 

Gina was 18 then, while Ethan was 20. Both were part-time polytechnic students. 

Eventually, the pair exchanged numbers, taking to each other right off the bat. They got married a year later. 

It’s easy to see that the couple are a match made in heaven. As we talk, the camaraderie is plain to see, and you’d often catch the couple bantering with each other. They really do go together like peanut butter and jelly — something that just seems almost par for the course, considering they’d been together for 17 years.

It’s also their love and unwavering support for each other — and a common affinity for baking — that made Sourdough and Brew the successful bakery-cafe it is today. 

How Baking With Gina came to be 

Before Sourdough and Brew launched as a physical cafe in September last year, it was a home-based business: Baking With Gina.

It began in 2016 when Gina was trying her hand at baking. She had just given birth to her youngest child, Ethnan, not too long ago, and was researching treats for breastfeeding moms. 

She’d stumbled on a recipe for lactation cookies and wanted to give it a go.

“I made a batch of lactation cookies and shared it with my neighbour,” recalls Gina. “She told me to start selling them as a business. Ethan also encouraged me to try it out.” 

Bolstered by her husband’s support, Gina started Baking With Gina that same year, turning a hobby where she “baked for fun” into a full-time online business. 

A sourdough story 

Over the next few years, Gina tinkered with various recipes, spanning pineapple tarts, butter cookies, and festive goodies that she sold during Chinese New Year.

It was in 2018 that she dabbled in sourdough bread, a signature of hers today. 

“My kids had developed a love for bread,” Gina says, smiling. “I decided to culture my own sourdough starter and bake it for them.” 

Learning how to bake sourdough bread from scratch wasn’t easy — she researched extensively online and even reached out to various cooking gurus on Instagram for advice.

It only took one lucky try for Gina to perfect her sourdough starter. She named it Annie. (It turns seven this year!) 

“We first started making sourdough loaves for just family and close friends, before we sold our bread online,” she adds. 

Despite positive feedback, including some from the readers of a recipe blog she was running, Gina was hesitant to add sourdough loaves to her menu.

“The fermentation process for the sourdough loaves is really long,” she says. It’s also quite a laborious process, especially in large volumes from her small home kitchen. 

But after some pondering, she decided to give it a shot. 

Unlike the standard sourdough boules (traditional ball-shaped loaves) or batards (oblong-shaped loaves) you’ll come across in most run-of-the-mill bakeries, Baking With Gina’s version is shaped in a square tin.

Not only is it more manageable in size for a one-woman show to handle, but Gina also finds it to be the perfect vessel for her desired results.  

“It’s also easy to store in a lunch box,” she muses. “Easy to cut and serve, too.”

A right-hand man

Demand for her wares spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, many home-based businesses, Baking With Gina included, saw booming business, so much so that Gina had to rope in her family to help.

At that point in time, Ethan — who previously specialised in software solutions for more than a decade — decided to leave the industry and join Baking With Gina full-time. It wasn’t a decision that he made overnight, though. 

Ethan first assisted with the deliveries and backend administrative works, while their three children folded packaging boxes. 

But Ethan is no stranger to the kitchen. He had run hawker stall Ethan My Prawn Noodles at Amoy Street, which shuttered after seven months of operation, in October 2023.

“During the days that I got to stay at home, I’d bake with Gina,” he says, smiling. “That was what sparked my interest in baking.” 

Now, Ethan proudly serves as Gina’s right-hand man in the kitchen. He’s quite the quick learner, too, Gina adds. They share the workload evenly and fulfil orders together. 

New beginnings 

However, operating as a home-based business had its downsides — ingredients were always all over the place, and the smell of food always lingered in the air, even after the day’s bakes were done. 

“Whenever we’re done baking for the day, we always felt uneasy,” he admits, hesitantly. “Our home didn’t feel like a place where we could relax.”

That was when the couple knew they had to take the leap. “A home should be a home, and it should only be used for rest,” Gina quips. 

In September 2024, the pair opened their first brick-and-mortar bakery-cafe at Farrer Park, under the name Sourdough and Brew.

Specialising in sourdough bread, the bakery-cafe invited diners to unwind over a coffee, but also served as a central kitchen for the enterprising duo.

Sourdough bakes crafted with love 

While sourdough bakeries may be a dime a dozen in Singapore, Sourdough and Brew prides itself on bakes prepared with heart and quality. 

“We realised that most sourdough breads are usually hard and dense,” Ethan explains. “Some customers hear the word ‘sour’, and they think that the bread won’t taste good.”

He adds: “That’s why we came up with sourdough bagels. They feature the sourdough’s signature tangy flavour, but with a lighter, fluffier texture.”

The pair believe their customers deserve the best, which is why they use only premium ingredients, such as Japanese bread and French butter, in their bakes.

For the utmost in quality control, the pair also makes it a point to culture their own sourdough starter.

Comfort flavours

Gina tells us that the inspiration for her bakes comes from her family.

“They tell me, ‘Can you try this?’” she recalls. “I’d research and experiment with those bakes. And if I like them, I’ll add them to the menu.”

For starters, the blueberry sourdough bagel (S$6) was a flavour combination that Ethan came up with — a pairing that their kids greatly enjoy. 

“Ethan was the one that asked for a blueberry bagel,” Gina says, laughing. “It’s one of the first bagel flavours that I ever made, and is now one of our signatures.” 

Whenever she feels inspired to try out a particular flavour, she’ll produce a small batch and see how it fares with the crowd. 

“If the flavours don’t work, then I’ll just tweak my recipes and try again,” Gina says. 

Bagels galore 

Sourdough and Brew has a myriad of sourdough bagels on its menu, including flavours such as cinnamon walnut (S$6), garlic cheese (S$7) and mentaiko (S$7.50). 

For an extra S$1.80, you can also add a whipped cream cheese topping.

Besides the sourdough bagels, which are spread with a light filling, Sourdough and Brew also offers hearty brunch options, including sourdough brunch bagelwiches. 

They’re stacked options stuffed with a slew of ingredients and come in six flavours. Of these, the loaded Eggstra ham (S$9) with omelette and chicken honey-baked ham and smoked salmon (S$15) are more popular with the crowd.

Budding baristas

Accompanying the sweet and savoury sourdough bakes is a wide range of coffees and teas.

Although Ethan and Gina aren’t full-fledged baristas just yet, they’re both determined to perfect their coffee-making chops. 

“We’re still learning,” Gina admits. “We’ve already attended some courses to equip ourselves with the knowledge and confidence to make drinks — especially how to make a good cup of coffee.” 

If you’re not up for coffee, they highly recommend their speciality drinks: Matcha latte (S$8) and matcha raspberry (S$9.50) crafted with ceremonial-grade matcha powder from Niko Neko, for its exceptional quality and fragrance.

The matcha drinks at Sourdough and Brew aren’t too sweet, either.

“We don’t add any sugar to our speciality drinks because we feel that they should be enjoyed as is,” adds Gina. “It also caters to those who prefer to have their beverages without sugar.”

To tastier heights

We can see Sourdough and Brew being a pitstop for those in the Farrer Park neighbourhood to rest their legs and savour a pick-me-up. 

Ethan and Gina also intend to revamp their menu with new dishes, hopefully sometime soon. They have a few ideas in mind, but these are still in the works. 

If you haven’t had the chance to visit the sourdough speciality bakery-cafe yet, this is your sign to do so. Who knows, you might fall in love with the place, just like we did!

If you’re in the area, be sure to check Sourdough and Brew’s neighbour, Hey Slow Joe. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here. 

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Sourdough and Brew to try its sourdough bakes.