A fter stealing her first oven from her grandmother and a beater from her aunt, Monisha Sudakar, a 20-year- old Chennaite kick started her career as a home baker. Popular on the social media, Monisha named her venture ‘Pastry Maniaa.’ A true testament of changing her passion into a dream, Pastry Maniaa, almost two years old now, has already tasted sweet success.
Having an interest in baking, Monisha never thought of making it a part time job. “I learnt baking and used to bake for small events,” says the sociology graduate. “After watching various other home bakers I was inspired to have a brand of my own,” she adds.
Unlike most bakers, Monisha does not have a sweet tooth. However, she believes in producing the best for her customers. “I personally don’t like how fondant tastes, so I don’t bake such cakes. I incorporate perfection in whatever I bake and I guess that makes up for not using fondant,” says the young aspiring lawyer. Being a prominent Chennai home baker, Monisha now wants to dip her hands into the law. With such vast differences, she has always had her parents by her side. “Amma has always been a pillar of support while appa was a little tentative in the beginning but is now proud of how far I’ve come,” says Monisha who is her own boss. Managing a start up all by yourself is a task. Yet Monisha perfectly manages everything all by herself with a few exceptions when her friends and mother help her with bulk orders. “My biggest order was last Diwali, 200 jar cakes from one customer. I like my cakes to be fresh so I bake it on the day of delivery. 200 jars was a little overwhelming to do single-handedly. I asked my friends to help me out. We managed to deliver the order on time,” says Monisha. “I feel I can manage all of this by myself and with a little help from my friends as of now,” she adds. She also enjoys teaching and conducts summer workshops and also takes private classes if needed.
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Monisha’s largest order was two hundred jar cakes by one customer during Diwali season last year
Reach Out: www.instagram.com/pastrymaniaa