“My little trips to various bakeries with mom is when I fell in love with baking. One of them had an open kitchen and I saw them decorating a cake. This immediately struck a chord with me. I rushed back home and threw my hands into the cake batter (laughs). Since then, I have always been passionate about it. Few cakes would go straight into the bin and few would turn out perfect.

Later, I joined college and was simultaneously exploring more baking. I received my first order around this time. An acquaintance had placed an order and my mom helped to deliver it to their place while I was in college. I felt like I was waiting for the results of a lottery ticket. I was so eager to know the feedback. Thankfully it turned out to be positive, which assured me of my work. Honestly, now when I look back, it was not one of my best works.

My parents have always played a significant role in my life. If it wasn’t for them, I never would’ve taken the risk of following my passion. I was told that I don’t have to take up a corporate job just to satisfy society. They motivated me to take risks in what I am passionate about.

Post my Under Graduation, I pursued a Diploma in Baking from Lavonne Acadmey. I interned under one of India’s famous cake artists, Chef Joonie Tan for a while. Later I moved back to Hyderabad right before the lockdown last year. I believe the lockdown was a blessing in disguise. I started receiving orders from friends and family for cakes and goodies. They felt comfortable buying from a home studio rather than a bakery. That’s how I started my brand KEFI Bakehouse. KEFI, inspired by a Greek word, symbolizes the spirit of bringing joy and passion to our daily lives, and the purpose of my little venture, is exactly this. So, It feels over the moon to have my customers come back for something new from me.

There have been some testing times throughout the journey that make me think ‘ baking is not a cakewalk’ but becoming a part of someone’s celebration always makes it worth the hustle.”