Of design and delicacy!

BHARATI PAWASKAR

A customer came to her with an unusual request - to bake a theme cake for her mother-in-law’s 60th birthday. Describing her mother-in-law the lady had said, “A Sanskrit teacher, she’s a very good cook, and still loves to stitch. Can you combine these three concepts in one theme to give a pleasant surprise to her?” asked this customer.   

Nadia Aslam cooked the concept and baked it into a beautiful customised cake. “I adorned it with vegetable knives, forks and spoons, some carrots and a chopping board, a sewing machine with a half-stitched material, a needle and thread passing through the cake, some exam papers and Sanskrit books. My cake was appreciated so much not only by the ‘elderly birthday girl’ but all her relatives too,” remembers Nadia fondly. Such positive feedbacks charge her up and she is motivated to enhance her skills further.   

A homemaker, Nadia lives in a large joint family and has three kids to take care of with no ‘me’ time for her. Yet her strong and compulsive urge to make the best of her creative talent has taken her home science skills to newer heights. “I always wanted to join the tribe of working women, albeit from the comforts of my home,” states Nadia who has skilfully managed to balance both - her home and her work. Today she not only bakes customised, designer theme cakes and chocolates but also shares her secrets happily with other enthusiastic learners. Surely, this is not cake walk but it does add to her kitty.   

Spending her academic years at Rosary High School and Dempo College in Panaji, Nadia became a home science graduate with specialisation in textiles. Always interested in embroidery and creative artwork Nadia was very fond of designing her own clothes even as a child. Her creative inclination took a new shape when soon after marriage she began conducting workshops in ‘tie and dye’ as well as hand embroidery. Nadia also ran a boutique for two years until she was expecting her third child.   

“I wanted to stay back home and give ample time to my growing kids so until the youngest was three, my role was only of a caring mother. Then once again, I gathered my tools and set to brush up my long forgotten baking skills which I had learnt during my home science days. We were introduced to different types of cakes, pies, desserts and tarts in college and I wanted to make all of these at home for my family. It was time to learn new techniques too, so I enrolled for a baking class in Panaji,” shares Nadia whose journey from home-maker to home baker began now.   

Her instructor saw her skills and boosted her to learn more and more techniques. Warmed with the words of appreciation from her teacher, Nadia quickly grasped the new concepts and began practicing at home. It was here that friends began to coax her to bake cakes for them. 

“I created a Facebook page ‘Nadia’s Sweetooth’ and posted all my wonderful cake creations on it. My work got recognised and life took a U turn,” recalls Nadia. It’s been three years now that I have turned into a professional home cake baker, accepting and delivering orders from home. ‘Nadia’s sweetooth’ is now a brand by itself. She has done a few certificate courses from noted cake artists from India. Last year she was invited to attend a Baker’s convention ‘Cake Me Away 2017’ in Goa. “With time, even cakes are evolving. They are now a fashion statement,” admits Nadia.   

Undergoing metamorphosis Nadia became a proud entrepreneur from a homemaker. “All this would not have been possible without the support of my family,” says a humble Nadia who never thought that someday she would become a cake artist or conduct cake art classes but she is living her dream today. Some of her students have started their home bakeries too. “I am not reluctant to share my secret recipes as I believe that a skill grows more if shared,” concluded Nadia.