Care for Some Chilli Brownies?
Nishant Vijayakumar is excited and busy before the opening of his first retail outlet of Brownie Heaven, which has some unique variations of lip-smacking brownies such as the chilli brownie, brownie Tiramisu and brownie cheesecake.
In the middle of preparations to set up the outlet at Royapettah, which is due to open this week, Nishant took the time to explain to City Express how he got the idea to open a place for brownies. “I have always wanted to create product-centric brands and popularise them in the city. I went for brownies because they are a popular dessert and frankly, there are not too many varieties being sold and even those that are being sold, are not of international quality. The outlet here will be a café, where a small crowd of 18 to 20 can enjoy their brownies made as per international standards,” he explained.
In addition to the brownies, the store will also have filter coffee-based beverages, which Nishant says would be a good blend of the city’s own kaapi with some foreign flavours. “A full-fledged menu, complete with the combinations of brownies and beverages, will be out in another couple of weeks,” he added.
For someone about to open a new outlet with an entirely new concept, Nishant is not anxious about the success of his place. Perhaps, one of the reasons is the initial recognition he received for his brownie combinations.
Before opening the store, the 25-year-old’s culinary skills became popular through his Facebook page, Brownie Heaven, which came up in July this year and now has rave reviews.
After his graduation in Hotel Management from the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal, Nishant trained at the Kitchen Management Training Programme at the ITC group of hotels. He said that the training programme honed his skills and instilled in him a sense of discipline that not only helped him pursue his dream but also gave him the courage to give up a lucrative job at ITC Grand Chola and a promising cricketing career.
“In school, I represented the state in the Under 17 and Under 19 categories in cricket but I gave it up as a career choice to become a chef,” he added. And it looks like his calculations paid off, as what started out as a trial venture a couple of years ago has gone on to become an exclusive go-to place for brownies.
“Technically, Brownie Heaven was started in 2013 to test the waters for a couple of months after graduation, and until my training was over. It became fully operational in July 2015, and the response has been positive ever since. And now, starting out with a new retail outlet, I will open a few more in the city,” said the chef who claims to have sold over 2,000 kg of brownies in three months, with youngsters to the middle-aged taking in bulk orders for parties as well.
The outlet will be at Royapettah (opposite New College) and the brownies can be ordered via Facebook Page too.