Known for her rib tickling comedy reels which get millions of views, revolving around queer identity, navigating family dynamics, and being queer in Bengaluru, popular influencer Prarthana Prasad (until recently known as ‘shorthairedbrownqueer’ on Instagram), is stepping into the world of entrepreneurship. Beku Cafe Bakery and Bookstore, JP Nagar, set to open on August 12, is an amalgamation of her love for reading and baking backed by her years of experience as a chef.
Prasad hopes for the venture to become a space to foster community, within Bengaluru’s LGBTQ+ community but also anyone else in the city longing for connection. “Putting books and food together along with social events is what I thought would be the best way to foster connection and warmth between people – many of them are in a new city and mainly interact with others through social media,” Prasad explains.
She adds, “I’ve spent the last year and a half organising events centered around the queer community in Bengaluru. That and my personal content creation has given me a lot of time and opportunity to interact with the community. Having a space that’s truly open and friendly towards the queer community is definitely a big part of my intention with the space.”
This intent was also a priority when putting together her team, explains Prasad, saying, “The idea behind the hiring was not to hire only queer people but to follow a non-discriminatory hiring process. Especially acknowledging biases in how businesses usually employ people in the hospitality industry, to move past that and create a more fun and diverse work place.”
The cafe’s space follows a cottagecore theme with four whimsical and interactive art installations by artist Priyanka Priyadarshi based on author Beatrix Potter’s children’s books. “I want guests walking into Beku to experience a little slice of otherworldliness, comfort, whimsy and nostalgia tucked away in the heart of the city. Since it’s a bookstore-cafe, picking a theme like cottage core felt like a natural choice. It’s so much of what we see in books, especially classics and children’s books,” says Prasad, explaining the theme.
These tie in with her intention of creating a nostalgic experience with the food on offer as well, including many quirky baked goods along with a few South Indian dishes She says, “Our focus is on Viennoiseries but going with the comforting and nostalgic theme, we have an Indian twist going on with all of them. We have Mysore pak croissants, Congress kadlekai croissant and interesting desserts like coffee bite inspired Indian toffee pudding – really trying to nail the taste of nostalgia.”