Jia came to Canada to study at the age of 19. At McMaster University, Jia met Peter who also came from China, the two of them did not know back then that they would open up the first Asian fusion bakery in Hamilton 18 years later.

Life was exciting at first, but for someone who has never been so far away from her parents, Jia soon felt homesick. Besides family and friends, what she missed the most was her favorite strawberry whipped cream chiffon cake, it was not too sweet, light and fluffy with lots of fresh strawberries, she wanted to get one for Peter on his birthday but every bakeshop she went to did not have this particular kind of cake. Jia was not ready to give up, she decided to make it herself, for anyone who has attempted to bake a chiffon cake and make whipped cream from scratch, you probably know how her first try went, it was more like a flat pancake with melting cream. When she presented it to Peter, not expecting him to be impressed at all, Peter gave her a big hug and told her that it was the most delicious cake he had ever had. At that moment, Jia realized that baking is a way to show love and care, and more importantly, Peter is a supportive and encouraging person.

In 2009, Jia took a step back from her study in Electrical Engineering and re-evaluated her passion and goals for life, that was when she decided that she would love to open a shop and bake for more people who crave the same kind of cake and desserts that she loves. And again, Peter had shown unwavering support to her decision which seemed to be irrational to a lot of people. After years of working in the industry, receiving training from institutions in Canada and abroad, and making cakes for friends and families, Jia and Peter launched their online business in 2013 and named it MysweeTooth. Customers who have tried their desserts said they were even better than what they had back home. Jia and Peter never had to advertise, customers came to them just by the word of mouth. They focused on improving their techniques and exploring new flavors and varieties. They baked with love and care and used only the best quality ingredients.

In 2019, they started planning on opening a brick and mortar shop and finally opened the door on Jan 8th, 2020. Little did they know what 2020 meant for the world, how much more challenging it became to start up a shop, and how supportive this community is. The past 11 months have been like a rollercoaster, but no matter how difficult it was, they’ve always shown persistence, resilience, and gratitude. To give back to the community, they have donated to local food banks and organizations whenever they could. In the past 11 months, their team grew from just the two of them to 8 teammates.

Jia once told Diane from The Hamilton Spectator that her goal is to have someone bringing their grandchildren to the shop and tell the kids that this is the shop that they’ve loved for 30 years. 29 years and 1 month to go, MysweeTooth.