KUCHING: A producer, baker, son, friend and boyfriend who has set his sights on opening his own pastry restaurant one day.
This is the story of Peniel Jeshurun whose six foot tattooed frame accentuated by nose and ear piercings is beguiling, to put it mildly.
But behind the rugged exterior is a soft-hearted man with a heart for gaming, production and pastry.
The 32-year-old is driven by ambition, focus and passion – that much came across clearly during a recent interview with New Sarawak Tribune.
Jeshurun, who is better known by his colleagues and friends as Jay, comes from a family of four and his love for movies and television sparked an interest in production earlier on.
But it was his aunt who introduced him to baking.
“When I was young, to avoid studying, I was always keen to help my mom in the kitchen and my interest in baking was sparked by my aunt.”
Jay learned baking when he was still in secondary school, around the age of 13 to 15, and he aimed to become a chef once he finished secondary school.
Jay, however, also picked up other interests such as gaming and he wanted to earn and make money through gaming and that was where his love for production grew gradually.
THE ASTRO JOURNEY
The journey of being a sound man has brought Jay to big stadiums like Bukit Jalil.
“I was in production for about six to seven years, having been in Astro since 2012.
“I left in 2018,” he said, acknowledging the experience of being the sound person in international concerts and other big events.”
Jay credits his time in Astro for being able to learn about production, cameras, lighting and audios.
“Anything involving production, I could do it, as it was something I loved and enjoyed,” he added.
Jay then moved to E.G.G (Every Good Game) Network, a channel which focuses on e-sports and broadcasts electronic games tournaments live around the world.
He spent one year in EGG Network,which is a gaming channel under Astro.
There, he also put his skills to the test, as someone who loved playing games, and relished the opportunity to play games and also earn money.
“This was an opportunity for me to do productions but also run big (gaming) competitions with the help of the (gaming) developer’s support,” he added.
Jay however, felt that he needed to face new challenges and discover new opportunities. This led him to move to Penang to work for a healthcare company as the head of production in the company.
SAME INDUSTRY NEW CHALLENGES
The journey in E.G.G as a producer and content creator saw him securing deals with big gaming brands like Mobile Legends.
He credited his experience there for teaching him how to manage budgeting and deal with finances which is a huge benefit for him in his pursuit of pastry.
“During the period of work in the healthcare industry, I played a pivotal role in managing the company’s financial sector.
“Because in order for us to do business with medical partners, doctors, surgeons and pharmacists, we have to come up with a payment card,” he added.
Jay however, reminisced about a conversation with his partner, Ravina, which sparked a change of heart to wanting to bake and achieve his childhood dreams.
Several years after that conversation, he moved to Kuching during the pandemic, at the end of 2021.
While also working at a local production company in Kuching, Jay, has for six months now been baking homemade cookies called ‘BisCute JaR’.
CHILDHOOD DREAM INSPIRED BY LOVED ONES
Many years have passed since Jay’s father believed in his ambition to one day be a chef. It was also his father’s words who encouraged him to pursue pastry.
“If that’s what you want we will support,” said the loving father to his son.
Jay added that his partner was also the one who provided constant encouragement for him to pursue pastry.
“For now, it’s just home made based first, I want to provide a more personal touch for customers.
“If I open up a shop immediately, prices are higher and a lot more things would need to be considered,” he added.
Jay said opening a shop specialising in desserts and pastries is certainly his goal.
Jay credits his skills and experiences in production to assisting him in setting up a baking business.
“The best thing about media is you get to set a trend. I started falling in love with camera angles, it has helped me with my baking. I have to come up with ideas for postings, Instagram stories and these are part of production that has helped me with baking,” he said.
