Jaya Kochhar
From baking a cake which was hard as a rock to dishing out fairytale creations, Jaya Kochhar has come a long way. Baking is just one aspect. She finds cake decoration—sugar flowers and fondant frills, handmade toys and motorbikes—even more exciting. “I feel like I am in Candyland,” she says. Jaya says the cake market in Delhi is huge as Delhiites are excited about customising cakes. “This attitude inspires us to better our cakes everytime.” A Napa Valley Culinary School pass out; Jaya began by baking for friends and family. A review by a food critic changed all that. She got inquires for 300 cakes and failed to attend 200 more calls on one day. Today her brand—Jaya Cakewalk—has walked into many a hearts.
Mandakini Gupta
We have heard of career switches, but this one is 180º. Mandakini Gupta traded her microphone for spatulas, quitting a career in TV journalism for baking, and today she bakes like a boss. Her earliest memory is making “deconstructed lemon tarts” in school, the tart filling would never set, and had to be scooped into the shell and eaten. Since then she has come a long way. Her venture started with tasting samples for friends and through word to mouth soon started receiving orders. Everyday is a challenge for small business owners in Delhi, from sourcing ingredients, buying hardware, to power cuts. She loves the hidden away forest-like parks and the monuments of Delhi. She believes the trend now in baking is going back to classic techniques, with a slight modern twist.
Angels in My Kitchen
The brainchild of two bakers, Bijoy Majhi and Bhupesh Jain, the goodness of their confectioneries have found many worshippers. The owners say the most enjoyable part of baking in Delhi is the people. They know what they want and they are willing to pay the right amount for quality. Delhiites are also tolerant if they know the hardship that has gone into a creation. In their opinion, presentation and tastes are changing, but the joy of using old basics, the way grand mom used to bake, are eternally precious.