HYDERABAD: Even a tiny bite off her plum cake is enough to show you why the chefs of 5-star restaurants in the city make a beeline to her cafe for the Christmas goodies. Before the real fruits burst in your mouth in an exquisite blend of flavours, the aroma of anise greets your nose, making you realise that you have truly tasted something special.
Jackie’s Patisserie & Cafe on SD Road in Secunderabad, run by Jacqueline Nicholas, is not only in demand during the festive season, but all year round too, for the impressive line-up of dishes printed on her menu under the heading ‘Anglo-Indian’. Jackie, as she is fondly called, is one of the handful of Anglo-Indians in Hyderabad who did not settle abroad. She instead started her dream cafe in 2016 and there was no looking back. Around Christmas and the New Year, Jackie can hardly sleep because of the number of orders for her roast turkey and plum cakes. She is not complaining either.
“Cooking is my passion. My biggest reward is when my customers tell me that they love my food. There is no bigger source of inspiration than that,” she says. When asked what is the secret that makes her food so different, she tells me the ingredient that has been vouched for by the finest cooks in the world – love. “When you are baking a cake, you have to put a lot of love in it. When I bake, I play Christmas carols and create a happy atmosphere. I believe that it makes a difference,” she says. Her cafe’s decor is simple, and has a home-like feel to it.
Like all success stories, Jackie’s journey too involved strong belief in her own abilities. “Before I started this cafe, I was doing a corporate job, but opening this cafe was always my dream. A few persons warned me that Anglo-Indian food might not find many takers. But by God’s grace, everything worked out,” adds Jackie. “We use family recipes which were passed down through generations. I learned everything from my mother,” says the ever-smiling host. Ask her what her signature dish is, and pat comes the reply: Ball curry and coconut rice with devil chutney. “I keep getting orders for these every day. My chicken roast, cutlets and shepherd’s pies are also bestsellers,” she says.
As Jackie puts another batch of plum cakes in the oven to bake, you realise Jackie’s joie de vivre and passion for food rub off on her surroundings too. She greets a customer like an old family friend and sends him back happy with a couple of cakes in tow.