From Jamaica to Dubai: A Pastry Chef's Journey of Sacrifice, Motherhood & Finding Her Mark

Babes, How Did You Get Here? | Shauna Silvera: From Jamaica to Dubai – A Pastry Chef's Journey of Motherhood, Sacrifice & Building a Life Across Borders What happens when a Jamaican pastry chef gets offered an opportunity in Dubai, turns down a promotion at home, leaves her three year old son with her village, boards her first ever flight, and spends the next nine years building a career in recipe development, navigating hospitality's brutal hours, managing motherhood through FaceTime and time zones, and discovering that home is wherever you choose to build it—even when your heart is split between two worlds? In this raw, deeply emotional, and profoundly honest episode, host April Jackson sits down with Shauna Silvera—a Jamaican born pastry chef and recipe developer who left everything she knew in 2017 to chase opportunity in Dubai, trading a promotion at Moon Palace Jamaica for a plane ticket to a city she'd never visited, a career she was still building, and a son she wouldn't see for months at a time. From growing up in St. Mary and St. Ann surrounded by pastry, learning from her church mom who took her through every parish delivering wedding cakes, to studying at HEART College of Hospitality Services, to working at Jules and Moon Palace, to landing in Dubai at night and seeing the lights for the first time, to spending four months without a job, to working in fine dining beside the Dubai Opera, to transitioning into recipe development for a catering company, to navigating the guilt of missing her son's childhood, to planning for the day they'll finally reunite, to turning down custom cake business because she refuses to be stationary, to representing Jamaica everywhere she goes, to discovering that tolerance is survival in a city of a thousand nationalities—Shauna's story is one of courage, sacrifice, and choosing growth over comfort every single time. In this episode, we discuss: The Decision to Leave: Trading Promotion for Opportunity – Turning down a promotion at Moon Palace to move to Dubai, consulting her sacred space people, and boarding her first ever flight. First Impressions: Landing in Dubai at Night – Arriving in Frankfurt for a nine hour layover, landing in Dubai, seeing the lights, and thinking "look at me, little Kingston girl." Life Before Dubai: Pastry Roots in Jamaica – Growing up surrounded by food, learning from her church mom, delivering wedding cakes across every parish, and studying at HEART College. The Hardest Decision: Leaving Her Three Year Old Son – Hosting his birthday party before leaving, saying no at first, and finally deciding to jump. Motherhood Across Borders: FaceTime and Time Zones – Managing the nine hour time difference, crying in the bathroom at work, and living for video calls. Finding Community: Jamaicans in Dubai – Connecting with other culinary professionals, discovering the Caribbean community, and why Jamaicans are respected and loved in Dubai. Working in Dubai's Hospitality Scene – From fine dining beside the Dubai Opera to cafes to central kitchens, and why every phase taught her something different. The Reality of Hospitality: A Message to Customers – Why kindness matters, why grace is everything, and why your waiter might be going through something you don't see. Career Evolution: From Baker to Recipe Developer – Moving from baking to recipe development, creating for multiple brands, and why she's still in the learning phase. The Entrepreneurship Dilemma: Custom Cakes vs. Freedom – Knowing exactly what she wanted a year ago, pulling back because she doesn't want to be stationary, and waiting for the right time. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction: A Jamaican Pastry Chef's Journey to Dubai 00:01:18 The Decision to Leave: Trading Promotion for Opportunity 00:02:52 First Impressions: Landing in Dubai at Night 00:05:10 Life Before Dubai: Pastry Roots in Jamaica 00:09:32 The Hardest Decision: Leaving Her Three Year Old Son 00:12:44 Motherhood Across Borders: FaceTime and Time Zones 00:26:10 Finding Community: Jamaicans in Dubai 00:29:05 Working in Dubai's Hospitality Scene 00:31:48 Career Evolution: From Baker to Recipe Developer 00:33:42 The Entrepreneurship Dilemma: Custom Cakes vs. Freedom 00:44:44 The Reality of Hospitality: A Message to Customers 00:59:55 The Question of Home: Could She Have Stayed in Jamaica? 01:03:56 Dubai Then and Now: Nine Years of Change 01:09:54 Advice for Aspiring Expats: Jump or Plan? 01:19:49 Dating in Dubai: The Cultural Challenge 01:22:17 The Future: Reuniting with Her Son 01:24:23 Life as a Postcard: Half Black, Half Colour #HowDidYouGetHere #AprilJackson #DubaiLiving #JamaicanInDubai #PastryChef #RecipeDeveloper #MotherhoodAcrossBorders #ExpatLife #HospitalityIndustry #CaribbeanInDubai #LivingAbroad #Reinvention #CourageOverComfort #FaceTimeMotherhood #WorkLifeBalance #DubaiExpat #JamaicanCulture #IslandIndustry #CulinaryJourney #SacrificeAndSuccess