Pandemic bakers, who learnt by trial and error, are here to stay

Lockdown-inspired bakers turn passion into successful small businesses through experimentation, feedback, and dedication to quality pastries.

When nobody had the option to go to the shops for food during the lockdown, Rithanya yearned for brownies and began making them for herself. That has now evolved into a label: Le Confectionery.

“I had no knowledge when I started baking brownies for myself. I just used a cooker to make my brownies which I shared with my family. After a process of trial and error, my baking skills tremendously grew from brownies to wedding cakes,” says Rithanya, owner of her full-time small business. Asked about handling huge orders, she giggles, “I used to turn my entire kitchen a mess. So, when I started making money from my pastries, I converted a space in my home into a baking studio and invested in an oven toaster griller. I also started collaborating with a few cafes and began outsourcing to a couple of coffee shops in Anna Nagar.”

Speaking of trial and error, Prishaa, a second-year B. Com student at MOP Vaishnav College and a part-time baker, says, “The Fourth Pastry was born during the pandemic when I was experimenting with baking brownies for my family. It didn’t stop with that since I have completed around 350 orders so far. I vividly recall receiving my first bulk order for brownies, which is about 5 boxes, 700 grams each. And for many of my orders, I start them post dinner and the baking goes on till 4 a.m. to ensure freshness for my customers.”

Varshini Ramesh, an engineer-turned-baker during the pandemic, started her small-business baking studio at her home, Pastry Capital. “I started baking on my own during the pandemic, which transformed into a cloud kitchen at my home and I have hired a baking assistant too. Since I manage many things in the business, I have lost count of the brownies that we have sold. But it took a lot of trials for us to perfect our signature chocolate fudge brownies and that’s our customers’ favourite.”

Experimenting lets them thrive and get ahead in their small business. “I’m always brainstorming for new ideas and that’s how our Biscoff Tiramisu became a hit after much experimentation. We are also thinking of experimenting with ice cream,” says Varshini Ramesh. For Rithanya, experimenting and feedback made her come a long way, “Experimenting with not only pastry flavours but also the overall process is important for bakers. Taking both good and negative feedback into consideration, I started asking my customers in detail how they wanted their pastry to taste, how much sweetness they’d prefer, and how they wanted it to look. Now, there is only positive feedback for my pastries after I tirelessly worked on customisation.”

“I learned from many of my errors during the pandemic such as adding too much oil in the batter, resulting in an inedible cake. Those initial days weren’t about taking orders. I was experimenting for hours every night after my study sessions. I started taking orders only from July 2023 when I became confident of my skills,” Prishaa says, explaining how experimenting endlessly helped her learn from her mistakes and make a mark in the world of pastries.