Japanese Women in Canada Vol.10 Yoko Tokiyoshi

What do you like about Canada?

I like the fact that there are not so many age restrictions. I feel that there are not many hurdles depending on your age in terms of work and study. You can decide your own timing and do what you want, when you want.

Also, we are close to both the mountains and ocean, so I can enjoy outdoor sports all year around. I enjoy hiking, paddle boarding, snowboarding, and bouldering. 

How long have you been living in Canada?

I first came to Canada in 1993 on a student visa for one year. After that, I went on a working holiday for another year. I have lived in North America for more than 20 years, including the time I spent in the United States.

I have always wanted to study abroad, even when I was in Japan. I came to Canada because of the safety and the working holiday system. 

What have you been doing since you came to live in North America?

I got married in 1999 and started living in Vancouver. I always liked making pastries, so I went to pastry school. As part of my school’s work experience program, I had a chance to work at Sweet Obsession. After that They hired me as a pastry chef. Soon I had to move to Seattle, USA, where I gave birth to my two boys. After the birth of my children, I was busy raising them, but when my younger son turned five, I started a catering business in Seattle. Making cream puffs and other desserts and baked goods, I opened a stall at a farmer’s market and catered office parties. I was so busy that I had to hire employees, and my signature cream puffs sold out every time. I continued this catering business for about three years.

When you are running your own business, sometimes you get so busy that you lose sight of your surroundings. I noticed that my family was not running well. In particular, my older son started causing trouble at school, and in order to return to a family-centered life, I quit my business and immersed myself in volunteering at the school. I thought it would be a good way to see how my son was doing at school, and also he would feel safer if his mother was there. 

 I have always been good at organizing people and leading others as a leader, so I once organized an art class as one of the school activities.

I ended up living in Seattle for 17 years and came back to Vancouver in 2017. It was hard to leave at the time. The environment around me was so good  and there was such a supportive community. Also, it was my ex-husband’s idea to come back to Canada, but I felt it was unreasonable that I had to change my life based on other people’s ideas and that I couldn’t make my own decisions. 

Soon after I came back to Vancouver, I was invited by an old friend to join me in starting a cafe. That cafe is Storm City coffee, where I work now as a manager and pastry chef. I did everything from deciding on the menu, to designing the paintings, to selecting the cutlery. It was all new to me, but I have to admit that the hard work made me feel more attached to the place. 

In 2020,We had a tough time with Covid-19, but now we are celebrating our fourth anniversary this November.Which is pretty amazing!

What is the hardest thing you faced living in North America? And what did you learn from it?

Parenting. why? Because I can’t stop even if I hate it (laughs).

Before I had a child, I used to stop everything as soon as I got sick of it. But when it comes to raising a child, I can’t give up and I can’t turn my back on it. My ex-husband was busy with his work and wasn’t home much, so there was no one around me that I could rely on or that would listen to me, and I was lonely as a parent for a long time. I couldn’t talk about parenting and didn’t have any emotional support. 

I had no confidence about my own parenting skills.and was confused by various opinions. I grew up in Japan. But raising my children overseas, I felt pressure from my parents who don’t even live with me!!!.I had no confidence in myself.

Perhaps reflecting these feelings of mine, my child started having trouble at school. I had many discussions with the teachers at school and did what I thought was the best at the time.

Parenting is really hard:…. Both of my sons are teenagers now, and sometimes I’m still struggling with what I need to do for them. However, although it is hard, there are also many good things and lessons to be learned. What I realized after the hard time is that it’s important to believe in myself and just do my best with confidence. then You can accept whatever result comes after…….

What do you do now?

I’m working as a manager and pastry chef at Storm city coffee. And also I am a mother of two teenagers. On my days off, I enjoy growing vegetables and flowers.

Recently, I started my own brand “Cream puffs by Yoko”and I sell my favorite pastry cream puffs on Instagram. 

The concept is Cream Puff every day!!

 My cream puffs are silky smooth delicious custard cream and tasty choux pastry …..This is the best anytime dessert I’ve ever known.

I’d like to spread the word about my cream puffs. 

Prices vary depending on the flavor, but range from $4.50 to $6.00. To order, please visit my Instagram page.

Yoko’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creamspuffsbyyoko/

What do you like to do?

I love baking. This hasn’t changed since I was a little girl.

I still remember the excitement I felt the first time I made sweets. It was like magic to be able to make the delicious sweets  with such simple ingredients that you always have at home, like sugar, butter, flour, eggs, etc.

Once I experienced the joy of creating something with my own hands, I was hooked. And then people love to eat my sweets . That whole process makes me happy.

I do baking at work, but when I have time at home, I want to make something. I’m still staring at the oven watching the dough like a little girl (lol). And when I get it right, I’m impressed with the result.

 Recently, I have been making sourdough bread at home. This is a living thing. . I have much to learn.But I am enjoying the pleasure of putting my hands on it.

Speaking of taking care of things, I have been working on my garden. Growing seasonal vegetables and flowers is also an important part of my time.

Is there anything you would like to do in the future?

I would like to do baking class for teenagers. Especially for those children who are in trouble in school.I would like to give them a place to come and learn some baking skills.

From my own experience, they are just in a tough situation. They are good kids. They are still teenagers. They live in a limited world. Instead of saying that it’s their parents’ fault or they have bad luck, I want to create an environment where the adults in the community can help them through the baking.

 A place where young people can gather. A place where they can gain some skills. I hope they can find their place in society.

I believe they want to connect with others even if it doesn’t look like it.

What is your belief or motto?

“value human connections”.

In my past experience, I value human connections. I believe that I cannot do anything by myself. If you think you can do everything by yourself, you are actually not doing it. That is why I value connections and communication with people.

Editor’s comments

Yoko works with young employees every day. 

What she feels about today’s young people, including her own sons, is that “Young people nowadays are Emotionally Intelligent.” I have a teenage son, and I felt the same way. 

I think children are able to see the essence of things much better than adults. I felt that Yoko wants to create a place where young people can grow up with peace of mind.

Children are raised and protected by the adults in the community. I think this is our duty as adults.

Yoko has been focused on Baking as her career and she will be from now on. I am sure her passion and creativity will continue to grow.

I can’t wait to see her new challenge.and as a member of a community, as an adult, I would like to support her new challenge.

Note: The photo on the cover was taken by Yushiin Labo. I was able to use the photo with his permission.　He have a local support project called Voice, where Yoko is introduced as the manager of Storm city coffee. It’s a series that introduces local small businesses with great photos, so please check it out too.

Yushiin Labo local support project Voice https://yushiin.com/voice/2021/01/22/102-storm-city-coffee/