Naina Goyal, a professionally qualified Chef and an entrepreneur, grew up in a small town in India, inspired by her father’s entrepreneurial spirit. Her journey into the world of baking began at a young age when she was captivated by the art of cake-making. After years of self-learning and experimenting with recipes, Naina took a bold step and launched her own home-based baking business in Johannesburg. She quickly became known for her fusion customized delicacies, serving over 500 clients and creating 1500+ unique confections. Tasting this early success, she then joined ICCA Dubai & honed her baking skills & served clients in UAE.With an unwavering passion for baking, Naina has turned her childhood dream into a thriving business, blending her love for the craft with her education in commerce.
Chef Naina, your journey in the culinary world is truly inspiring. Can you share with us what first sparked your passion for baking and how it evolved into a career?
Born & brought up in a small town of India, I come from a close-knit business family. My father is an entrepreneur & I drew my inspiration to have my own startup from him. As a 5-year-old, I always used to look forward to my birthdays just to have that sight of a beautiful birthday cake that gave me immense satisfaction – Birthdays for me was just about cakes and nothing else. Wengers in New Delhi used to be my favourite place and as a small child I always used to request the store manager to show me how those lovely cake slices were made, I always used to wonder how such beautiful creations are made and what goes behind them. After collecting a lot of information from cake books, magazines (in a no internet – no AI generation) I baked my first chocolate cake at an age of 11 and that’s when baking started to flow in my bloodstream. I never imagined that one day I will be pursuing baking as my primary profession thereby also leveraging my education in commerce. While living in South Africa, one fine day, a thought struck to my mind about starting my home baking business. With anxious feeling and no marketing acumen to reach consumers, I took a daring step and was the first one to introduce fusion customized delicacies in Johannesburg. Over a 2-year period, I was fortunate to serve more than 500 clients with 1500+ creations whilst receiving incredible appreciation & immense love.
You’ve been trained at the prestigious ICCA in Dubai and were recognized as the “Best Chef of the Batch” by A.R. Rahman. What was that experience like, and how did it shape your approach to baking?
“Baking for me isn’t just about recipes, it’s about the entire baking science and how those magical ingredients create magic once combined, it’s truly fascinating” And this is how I started learning “Why” instead of “How” of baking. Then I took the next key decision in my life where I decided to elevate my baking skills & I joined one of the best patisserie schools (ICCA) in Dubai. It was an intense journey at ICCA, filled with loads of learning & hard work along with many responsibilities in my personal life.
The experience at ICCA Dubai was truly transformative, giving opportunity to gain confidence through hands-on training from skilled chefs. The environment was super supportive created by instructors who are not only knowledgeable but also fun and encouraging, helping me refined skills and pushed my creativity. The course at ICCA was fast-paced and challenging, simulating a real-world kitchen environment, but ultimately led to a sense of accomplishment and preparedness for a culinary career. All my hard work paid o & the most pleasing part was to receive the “Best Chef of the Batch’ award from the music maestro AR Rehman. After gaining knowledge at ICCA, I observed although a lot of baking classes are available online & o -line but there’s a big gap of quality teaching with logic & science associated with baking, this is when I channelised my e orts from selling to teaching to help budding entrepreneurs & home chefs looking forward to fulfil their unfulfilled dreams of baking high quality premium cakes via learning the nuances associated with baking & upskills their skills. And that’s how i became ’CHEF INSTRUCTOR’ it gives me immense pleasure to see my students excel with their creations & unleash their potential.
Over the years, you’ve worked across India, South Africa, and the UAE. How has working in these diverse cultures influenced your baking style and business strategies?
I observed the cultural nuances associated with baking across continents as I travelled & lived with my family across the globe. Working in di erent countries influenced my baking style through cultural exchange with locals & understanding the local delicacies, leading to the fusion of techniques and flavours, while also a ecting business approach by requiring adaptation to local market demands, legal regulations, and consumer preferences. The cross-cultural experience that I gained, fostered an innovative mindset as a baker. Also gave me an opportunity to understand the blend of traditional methods with new ingredients from product development to marketing and management.
With 7+ years of experience and over 10,000 satisfied clients, you’ve clearly mastered your craft. What do you think sets your creations apart in such a competitive industry?
My patience, honesty & a humble approach in truly understanding the requirements of my customers in detail has helped me come up with some very innovative creations for e.g. giving a fusion flavoured cake a modern look or transforming an exotic cake into a traditional look. Love of playing with flavours & elements in patisserie helped me thrive in an industry with cutthroat competition having a bakery every 100 meters. What has worked for me consistently from beginning is the ability to deliver customized creations bespoke to the clients’ requirements. I have always believed in serving high quality products using genuine ingredients. I can proudly say that every creation of mine is a result of me putting my heart into it and I strongly believe that one should sell a product that one can feed to their kids & family, this is what I have been teaching to my students as well so they don’t become ‘just a baker’ BUT they become a ‘great baker’ and this is how I carved a niche for myself. The proof is that even after 3 years of leaving Johannesburg (South Africa) I still receive lot of love from my past clients through their messages that they miss me and my creations. I trust this is what has helped me thus far in my journey.
You’ve trained over 5,000 students globally, helping them turn their passion into businesses. What common challenges do aspiring bakers face, and how do you help them overcome those hurdles?
Aspiring bakers commonly face challenges like mastering techniques, managing time and workload, dealing with ingredient costs and consistency, and handling the business side of a home-based operation. To overcome these hurdles, beginners should focus on mastering the basics, practicing patience and organization, and seeking guidance from experienced bakers through classes or online resources. For business-related aspects, it is important to manage finances, optimize limited space, and learn to manage deliveries and customer service.
You seem deeply committed to empowering other bakers. What’s the most important lesson you teach your students, and why?
In my experience, most of the aspiring bakers blindly follow recipes whilst not putting in enough e ort to understand the science behind baking. And believe it or not, baking is a science and an art and this is the reason I always explain during my baking sessions that one needs to understand the science behind each and every ingredient and how they react with each other when combined, this depth and understanding shall completely change one’s entire baking game. I want to change the mindset of people towards baking that baking is not a guess work, it requires a certain degree of confidence, perfection and precision when it comes to measurements, combinations, flavours and finally putting all that in an oven.
You’ve been recognized for both your skill and your passion. How do you balance creativity with precision in your work, especially when it comes to delicate pastry creations?
“PVP” – Practice, Vision & Precision. These are the core fundamentals in patisserie. First & foremost, one needs to have a vision of what/when & how to create followed by meticulous planning and practise to deliver with precision. Over the years, what has helped me to survive in this rigorous profession is an attitude to never give up, a willingness to learn continuously from my own experiments and adapting to changing needs with agility. There have been setbacks while creating something truly unique, but key is that I stood up every time with renewed energy looking at what went wrong, testing other options to still purse & create something I dreamt of. One needs to have an eagle eye in this profession, going wrong at any level is not an option.
As someone who has worked in different countries and cultures, how do you adapt traditional techniques to suit local tastes and preferences?
To adapt traditional techniques to local tastes and preferences, I believe that it is crucial to research and understand the local culture, engage directly with the community, be flexible with methods, and respect local customs. This involves learning the local language, immersing yourself in local traditions and activities, seeking feedback, and making necessary adjustments to ensure your techniques are appropriate and appealing to the local audience. While delivering bespoke creation, I have often integrated local ingredients, materials, motifs into my work when appropriate to make it more relevant and appealing to the local culture.
With the growing popularity of home bakers and small businesses, what advice would you give to someone looking to turn their hobby into a successful baking business?
To turn a baking hobby into a successful business, focus on a specific niche, create a solid business plan, and price your products accurately to ensure profitability. Build an online presence through social media, and remember to prepare ingredients in advance, organize your workspace, and manage time e iciently also be Honest & Genuine with your customers
You’ve turned baking into a mission. What’s next for you, Chef Naina? Are there any exciting projects or goals on the horizon that you’re working towards?
Currently I am o ering baking master courses o ering options for all from beginners to professionals where they can experience a baking academy environment through online platform. Here, they not only learn the course but also get to learn from peers joining from all over the world sharing their experiences. I am also working on something very exciting at the moment in health space, details to be revealed soon !
In a world where trends come and go, what do you think are the timeless principles that every baker should adhere to for long-term success?
Timeless principles for long-term success in baking includes a strong foundation in baking science, meticulous attention to detail, and a commitment to quality ingredients. Bakers should also cultivate a mindset of continuous learning, embrace creativity within a defined niche, and maintain strong organizational skills. Finally, focusing on customer value, whether through classic recipes or a unique brand identity, is essential. Other than these qualities one should keep humanity alive and to have humble and respectful attitude towards their craft and customers.
Lastly, if you could offer one piece of advice to young people who are passionate about cooking or baking but unsure of how to get started, what would it be?
Start with one simple delicacy you love to eat and bake it yourself, using your favourite ingredients as a guide. Don’t be afraid to experiment and make mistakes, as they are essential learning opportunities on your journey to developing your own unique style and skills. Try to find your Niche and work towards that instead of trying various things at a time, practice in that direction and try to excel and never give up baking is something which looks very simple when you see a professional doing it e ortlessly but in reality it’s just the opposite and way too complicated and technical but don’t be afraid to chase your dreams as we all know anything is possible if you have the right attitude and willingness to LEARN, adapt and agility.
