Khushi Agarwal has transformed Sugarhead Bakehouse from a personal passion into one of Gorakhpur’s most loved flavour-driven, handcrafted baking brands. A completely self-taught 22-year-old baker, Khushi stands out for her from-scratch approach—every tea cake, ganache cake, bread, and savoury item is made with clean, honest ingredients and a deep love for the craft.
Along with curating unique flavours that Gorakhpur rarely gets to experience, she also conducts intimate, skill-building workshops where she teaches the art of baking in a friendly, easy-to-learn format. From tea cakes to brownies to savoury bakes, her workshops empower beginners and budding bakers to create confidently at home.
Through Sugarhead Bakehouse, Khushi is not only redefining the city’s taste but also inspiring a new generation of home bakers in Gorakhpur.
What first inspired you to become a baker? When did you started your journey?
My journey began with simple curiosity, which slowly turned into passion. I officially started Sugarhead Bakehouse one year ago, but my love for baking started much earlier. As a self-taught baker, every recipe was learned through experiments, failures, and lots of determination. Eventually, baking became my comfort, my identity, and now my profession.
Did you grow up baking, or did the passion come later in life?
I didn’t grow up baking. The passion came naturally as I grew older. What started as a hobby during my teenage years soon became something I couldn’t imagine my life without. Over time, that passion transformed into the vision for Sugarhead Bakehouse.
Who were your earliest influences in the kitchen?
My earliest influence was my home kitchen. Watching how a simple meal prepared with love could bring happiness to everyone made me believe food carries emotion. That thought shaped my approach — whether it’s a tea cake or a ganache cake, it should make someone’s day better.
What was the moment you knew baking would become your profession?
The turning point was when people tasted my tea cakes and messaged me saying, “This is better than anything we get in Gorakhpur.” That validation, especially for a self-taught 22-year-old, made me realize that this wasn’t just a hobby — it was my calling.
What trends do you see shaping the future of baking?
The future is all about:
Clean, from-scratch baking
Healthier alternatives
Minimal, flavour-focused cakes
Artisanal breads and fresh savoury bakes
People now care about ingredients more than decoration, which aligns with my philosophy at Sugarhead Bakehouse.
How do you balance staying trendy with preserving classics?
I love experimenting, but I never compromise on the flavours people grew up loving. For example, I offer a huge range of classic tea cakes but finish them with unique touches. My ganache cakes also maintain that balance — modern look, classic flavour depth.
Have customer preferences changed in recent years?
Absolutely. In Gorakhpur especially, I noticed a shift toward:
Fresh, home-baked options
Non-fondant, flavour-rich cakes
Savoury items made with homemade bread
Lighter, tea-time cakes
Since there aren’t many places offering such variety, Sugarhead Bakehouse naturally stands out.
What baking Means to you?
Baking, for me, is therapy, expression, and connection. It’s how I communicate love and creativity. It’s the skill that shaped me into a stronger, more independent young woman.
What does pizza represent to you beyond being just food?
Pizza is comfort, creativity, and community. It brings people together. Every time I make a pizza, I treat it like a canvas — the dough, the flavours, the textures — all come together like art.
How did your relationship with pizza begin, and how has it shaped your identity as a chef?My relationship with pizza began when I started exploring homemade breads. That curiosity led to creating pizza bases from scratch, and eventually, many variations. It taught me patience, precision, and passion — the three qualities that now define me as a chef and baker.
Pizza has centuries of history—how do you balance honoring tradition?
Pizza is one of those foods where tradition speaks loudly. For me, honouring that history starts with the basics — a good dough, slow fermentation, and simple but high-quality ingredients. Even though I’m young and self-taught, I deeply respect those timeless foundations.
But at the same time, I add my own personality to it — whether it’s experimenting with flavours, textures, or my own homemade bread techniques. So, I balance tradition and creativity by keeping the soul of pizza intact, while giving it a flavour that represents me and Sugarhead Bakehouse.
If baking is more than simply adding ingredients together, what does it reveal about the relationship between creativity, precision, and the baker’s understanding of how raw elements transform into something meaningful?
Baking is a perfect mix of science and soul. Precision is what makes the recipe work, but creativity is what makes the recipe yours. When I bake, I’m constantly watching how simple raw ingredients — flour, butter, cocoa, spices — transform into something emotional, something that brings people joy.
It reveals that baking is not just a skill; it’s understanding how flavours behave, how textures change, and how a baker’s intent can be tasted in every bite. For me, that transformation is magical. It’s the reason a 22-year-old self-taught girl from Gorakhpur could build Sugarhead Bakehouse — because baking lets me turn imagination into something meaningful for people.
