Chef Shreya is a professionally trained Pastry Chef with international and government certifications in Pastry Arts and Baking Science. An alumnus of Lavonne Academy of Pastry Arts in India, she has honed her skills under the mentorship of renowned chefs from across the country. Passionate about baking, Chef Shreya specializes in breads and classic pastries, and owns a state-of-the-art baking studio in Ludhiana, Punjab.
Her studio, along with her brand The Bakes And Broils, has made a mark in the city by serving delectable desserts to famous coffee houses and cafes. In addition, Chef Shreya fulfills online orders, bringing her irresistible creations directly to the people of Ludhiana.
Chef Shreya’s commitment to sharing her knowledge is reflected in her 700+ students trained through over 50 baking workshops, both online and offline. Her mission is to offer focused, detailed baking education, helping aspiring bakers kick-start their careers in the industry. With a keen eye for detail and a deep passion for the craft, Chef Shreya continues to inspire the next generation of baking professionals.
How do you see the evolution of pastry arts and baking science in India, especially with the growing popularity of artisanal baking?
I believe this is the era of evolution of Pastry Arts in India, with the gaining exposure from Western countries, we have grown from a commercially yeasted bread to Sourdough breads! Pastry Schools, Institutes , trained Chefs from around the world and ofcourse Social media has bought in a huge amount of knowledge to hobby bakers or professionals!
As an educator myself, I have seen the demand growing 10X for Artisanal breads like baguettes, ciabatta and restaurants, cafes serving on their menu, that opens up the opportunity to learn more, get the skills, increased job opportunities! If we talk about a decade ago, baking would have been recognised only as cake making or decorating in our country but in the present scenario it has changed completely!
Chef Shreya Building Blocks of a Successful Baking Business: A Focus on Business Management Skills
After pursuing my Engineering, I opted to start my own studio right from scratch with no knowledge of business, so with my experience after gaining and practicing the baking skill, the first primary skill required is how to run and manage a business before launching any scale of baking business which also includes a detailed 2-3 year finance plan, vendor listing, to have a strong knowledge of the local market and their spending capacity!
Can you share some of the challenges you’ve faced while transitioning from learning under renowned chefs to running your own successful baking studio?
While getting trained under the best and renowned Chefs, I have learnt discipline and pastry at its best! Once I have planned to start my baking studio, I realised how important it is to study the local market, from being trained into typical egg based French baking, unaware that egg-free baking is going to take over the world, to serving a 99% egg-free menu has been a roller coaster drive! Serving/teaching egg-free bagels to Croissant was a challenge back then!
One of the second challenges would be creating a market for the exquisite french pastry or artisanal bread menu considering the food cost of the products going too high due to the best quality ingredients! The market is ever growing, I have learnt to not deal in every segment and stick on few specialities creating a niche for my business!
As someone with international and government certifications, how do you balance traditional baking methods with contemporary trends to cater to the ever-changing tastes of your clientele?
While Traditional methods provides me authenticity and a solid foundation, modern trends allow me to cater to evolving tastes and presentation, I incorporate modern plating and styling techniques to make traditional baked goods visually appealing, aligning with contemporary aesthetics and social media trends.
I keep updating my skills and certifications to stay informed about global trends, enabling me to introduce new techniques, flavors, and concepts while honoring traditional methods. We at our studio do not focus on short term social media trends and this approach allows me to cater to a diverse clientele, ensuring each creation feels both timeless and relevant!
What are the common misconceptions you encounter about baking, and how do you address them in your workshops to ensure students develop a solid foundation?
As a beginner, students have several misconceptions about baking! First being, Baking is too complicated or only for professionals! I break down the recipes and methods into simpler steps and explain the science behind it- theory of how and why solves the majority of the questions! Making them do on their own(hands-on practice) helps them see that baking is accessible to everyone with the right techniques .
Second, Baking is only about sweets! I include savory baked items like crackers, party breads, and quiches in my workshops to showcase the versatility of baking Third, Precision in baking is intimidating for most of them, I emphasize the importance of precision but show how it can be easily achieved with tools like kitchen weighing scales and proper measuring techniques.
I also explain how understanding ratios, bakers percentage makes baking less rigid and more intuitive over time. Last, making them aware of the possibilities to create multiple flavours with natural ingredients and using base recipes, how every technique could be used in multiple ways with the right recipes!
