WARWICK SMITH/STUFF
Monic Tan has opened Sunder Bakery on Main St, next to the courthouse.
You've got to get up extra early in the morning to beat the competition in the bakery game.
So Monic Tan rises in the wee hours to ensure Sunder Bakery and Coffee is the first to open its doors and catch the early morning bus crowd in Palmerston North.
She and husband Sunder Pom have opened the bakery on Main St, at the old Jester's Pies site, after scrimping and saving for four years to set up their first business.
The Cambodian immigrants have worked as bakers for more than 12 years, and were ecstatic they were finally living their dream of running their own bakery.
There are about half a dozen cafes within a block of Sunder Bakery. Despite the stiff competition, Tan is confident the bakery has a secure future, hoping her 8-month-old son will one day work alongside his parents.
Pom's pies have won his previous employer, Sam's Bakery and Cafe in Foxton, a top prize at the Bakels New Zealand Pie Awards.
Tan's brother, who owns a business in Woodville, and a Cambodian family she worked for at the Rangitīkei Bakery and Cafe, are providing support until Sunder Bakery gets on its feet.
Pom was focusing on looking after the couple's son at the moment and Tan was handling the bulk of the front-counter work. The help was greatly appreciated, she said.
"It's very nice of them, and that's what Cambodians do – we help each other."
The bakery's location near the bus terminal and the courthouse also had benefits, providing a steady stream of customers.
"They're often too busy to sit in a cafe. They just want to grab a sandwich, or a nice pie with some coffee and go," Tan said.
