Think of the last time you went to a cake shop and ordered a 1 kg cake. Chances are you might have spent well above Rs 250 for it. An average Indian customer spends Rs 150 extra per one kilogram of cake merely for the “presentation and professional edge.”
Baking is as old as the human civilization. It’s just not about making bread and buns; today doughnuts, cakes and cookies are available in numerous variants giving customers the advantage of an international menu in their home country. The advent of technology and popularity of international reality shows, baking is what interested housewives, students and young graduates to sport the gloves and chef caps for a change.
Being a baker is a lot more than just knowing how to bake bread. It is an art as well as science of preparing various kinds of loaves, bread rolls, croissants, buns, pastries, cakes and savouries by adding one’s own innovation to his basic knowledge of baking. The question, however, remains: Is formal training mandatory for a career in this field? After all ‘grandma makes the best chocolate pudding and she didn’t go to baking school.’
Although an unconventional choice, pursuing bakery or confectionery as a career promises enough scope, if you have a penchant to woo people with your culinary skills. Foods which indulge ones sweet cravings are all about the ultimate feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that one is deriving from them. Thus, polishing ones skills and getting the necessary expertise in bakery, pastry and confectionery, is a must. Mumbai has some reputed institutes providing this course. Someone with entrepreneurial aspirations have two choices- two choices – opening a retail outlet, cafe/ restaurant/ wholesale bakery; or starting a home-based business such as bakery classes, party catering and outsourcing.
“It is a great delight to be able to bake delicious cakes and pastries. All it needs is a bit of skill and training to be able to do this. With the increasing number of bakeries and stores, the demand for professional bakers is expected to rise. New flavours and experiments announce new customers. If you have the right ingredients, and know how to make it, you can reach out the target audience in a very short span of time”, says Tejal Dadlani, an upcoming professional baker, who explained how contemporaries with her style and experimentation have redefined the prospects in baking and nutrition for good.
Now, you can go ahead pursuing this ‘sweet’ profession. As with most businesses and careers pros and cons are several, but if you add a pinch of proactiveness, a large spoonful of patience and a cupful of perseverance to your pot of boiling passion, you will have the recipe for bakery success.
-Tanvi Shah
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