About the Ube Bae

I was born and raised in the Bay Area. The Bay has always been my home. My entire childhood was spent at Ardenwood Farms, Coyote Hills, Happy Hollow, and Great America (when it was Nickelodeon theme).

With large corporations such as Facebook and Twitter coming to the Bay, the house market skyrocketed. It was nearly impossible to buy a home let alone rent an apartment. It was practically impossible to make ends meet or even afford dreaming.

Living in a two bedroom townhouse of 9 people, I witnessed my parents working hard to make ends meet and keep the roof over our heads. It was the norm to barely scrape by, to work ourselves to the bone, to be motivated by scarcity and anxiety. If we wanted to stay where we were raised, we had to work hard for it.

In 2020, with the house market insanely high and the rise of covid-19, I could not afford to stay in my hometown. So many people had to leave the Bay, and so many local businesses struggled and shut down. It was heartbreaking to see so much of what I grew up with suffer or collapse while these large corporations foreign to our home stood tall. Dreams shattered, businesses closed, and the charm that made my hometown special was dimming.

When I moved to Lancaster, California I found inspiration, healing, and motivation like never before. It was incredibly more affordable, I was able to become a homeowner. I joined a hālau and became a part of a beautiful community. There were tons of local and small businesses. I felt it was possible to dream and create a life out here, and I did.

In February 2024, I had my beautiful son. I loved every moment with him. Time is so precious and so I held on tight to cherish it all before I returned from my maternity leave. In just a couple months, I quickly realized that I did not want to return to a job that takes me away from him 8 hours a day 5 days a week. We also did not have family to help babysit nor could we afford daycare. And soooooo, the idea of Ube Bae was born in hopes to grow and replace my full time job.

I began coordinating monthly pop ups at Café Antigua. I wanted to support other mothers and women who owned their own businesses, and so we’d all become a part of an event I created named “Sip & Shop.” It was a hit in our city! So many of my friends and their families discovered Café Antigua through my events and named it their new go-to cafe, so it was a win-win for all of us business owners!

When I returned to my job after my maternity leave, I was a stay-at-home mom, full-time employee, and business owner. To be transparent, it broke me. I could barely remember that time in my life because I was on survival mode. I just wanted to be a good mommy. I was still believing the norm that I had to suffer and run on anxiety and scarcity to survive, and that’s why I did not quit my job. It’s literally insane to quit a good paying job to pursue your own business that’s only been up for a couple months.

Well, luckily I was insane. I took that huge leap of faith December 2024 and quit my job to pursue Ube Bae so I can be home with my son full time. If it wasn’t for the support of my community and customers, none of this would be possible. I thank everyone who supported me so I can support my family, my son, my dreams.

Supporting a small business is directly supporting someone’s family, someone’s dreams, someone’s passions. We are putting money back in our community, and we are polishing the charm of our city. It has been such a blessing to have all your support, and I always say “if you’re blessed, pass it on.” And sooooooo, another idea was born. Ube Bae Events.

I founded Ube Bae Events (formally known as Power Pop Girls) to provide a safe community where we can empower and support other women, mothers, and family-owned businesses.

Use Bae Events create events that contribute directly to local businesses, create a sense of community in our city, and support the families of our town. By supporting local businesses- We are supporting parents to provide for their families, artists to pursue their aspirations, and creators to make their dreams a reality. Additionally, we contribute to the economic growth as we directly put money back into our community. Businesses like ours make the world go round. My hope with Ube Bae Events is to highlight the heart, determination, and talent that define our community and giving local businesses the spotlight they truly deserve.

Thank you all for being a part of this journey!