#FlourPower: Chandigarh women trade office for oven

For the love of baking: On World Baking Day, we spoke to tricity folks who let go of a steady, high-paying career to take up baking professionally

In a world dominated by corporate careers and the pursuit of wealth, there exist individuals who have dared to break free from the shackles of high-paying jobs to follow their passion for baking. On the occasion of World Baking Day (May 17), we celebrate the inspiring stories of such women from tricity who discarded the ‘corner office to embrace the sweet aroma of freshly baked goods that bring joy to countless tricity residents and celebrities.

(L-R): Tricity-based bakers Banipreet Kaur; Upneet Bhatia; and Jasreen Kaur (HT Photos)

Upneet Bhatia, 33, @thecakewalkerz

I was earlier working as a product marketing manager in our family business. But I wanted to do something of my own and started baking. Initially, my family was completely against it as they thought it would be embarrassing. So, from working non-stop for days to earning a clientele, I had to struggle a lot to prove myself and convince them. I believe anger and love lead to creativity and that’s what helped me. Earlier, I had the anger of having to prove myself, and now the love of customers, including some celebrities, keeps me going. What I love the most about baking is getting to bring my vision to life.

Jasreen Kaur, 40, @chandigarh_bakery

I was earlier working as the chief operating officer at an IT firm. I have always been a food enthusiast and find frosting a cake quite therapeutic. Then, during an interview with some Dutch journalists, I revealed that I hope to open a cafe someday. But work life happened and that idea got buried. Then during my job posting in Bengaluru and Gurugram, I had a lighter workload so I started baking part-time. Finally, in 2018, I quit my job, and took a six-month break to experiment with some recipes, attend workshops and learn. In August 2018, I started baking full-time. I once had a tough conversation with my mom about on how I will make ends meet after quitting a high-paying job, but things fell into place. While baking, my focus is more on coming up with interesting and unique flavours than on the look.

Banipreet Kaur, 25, @bakeshopbybani

I have always loved cooking and baking. Since I travel a lot, I would learn about the local food and pick things. I was studying archaeology when the first wave of Covid-19 happened. And my father suggested that I do something of my own instead of working in the corporate sector as the job scenario was bad back then. So I started baking professionally. Initially, it was really difficult to get customers as I’m not much of a social media user. Also, it was around that time that a boom of home bakers happened in tricity and there was a lot of competition. But gradually, things worked out and I have been getting good feedback and encouragement.