BAKE HOUSE by Anshika

Anshika Dhawan – Baker and Owner, The Bake House, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

“All that I am now is just because of my mother. She is an incredible lady and the best friend I have. My Bakery would not have been a successful one without her encouragement and support. I am brilliant in academics since childhood. I spent most of my time with books. It was expected since then only that I will enroll in the work that requires a lot of studies. My mother is a housewife. She cooks amazing food and also bakes well. I had learned my basic techniques from her only. I used to help her with the same when I realized that besides studies my interest lied in baking as well. Self Realization is the best, it makes you believe in yourself and introduce you to your capabilities. I then started to bake small cakes, cupcakes, and muffins by myself. Things seem easier for those who never try it. I came to know how difficult and challenging it is to bake a perfect one. I watched several youtube videos, online baking classes, and so on to give wings to my dream. Managing my scores along with my passion is the hardest task I do. Gradually I started baking for my family members for their birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions. Initially, things did not go well, I overcooked some, some were broken and some went a bit tasteless. But I had always learned from my mistakes. Taking small steps now will lead to bigger conclusions in life later. For a baker, it is essential to keep in mind all the methods, and dos and don’ts while doing the same. I had managed to divide my study and baking hours to pay attention to both. After school, followed by coaching classes, I tried to do something different each and every day! I worked hard and had put all of my efforts into my studies ever since I reached class 10th. I knew that I will be appreciated and accepted for baking, only when I gain good grades. We live in a society where all are judged by their scores. I suppose Talent is considered outdated nowadays. It is highly ignored and disrespected by many. I studied till late hours, practiced maths especially. I kept aside all the other thoughts and gave full time to my studies. My exams went well and I was eagerly waiting for my results now. Between this time gap, I had learned to bake dishes like garlic knots, cinnamon rolls, different sorts of bread, cookies, and biscuits all by myself through youtube. I had never applied for any sort, of course, diploma or classes. I wanted to make my flavors and creations. I did fail several times but never stopped baking. I knew great achievements require a lot of practice and hard work.

Failures always define how many pains you’ve taken to reach the point where you are standing now. They define your sacrifices, dismay, and love for your work. I was delighted and jubilant when I came to know that I had scored 93%. The day could not have been happier. The most precious thing was that my parents had bought me all the equipment I lacked by then, to enhance my baking skills. My mom has always lent me her hand whenever I required her. She is one of the main reasons I have never stopped to bake. It is her faith in me that keeps me motivated to try new things. Several people consider baking an easy task. It hardly requires any efforts, just open the internet and you will get 100s of recipes out there. But it requires hours of dedication and patience. It also requires the composure to bear the failure. You need to look and search for ingredients and tools since they are not easily available in the market. You have to make new flavors and try to keep up with the new techniques. Also maintaining quality and reputation in this extremely competitive market is really a work of stress. Also belonging to a small town like Bareilly creates a hindrance in home-delivery service and, in these Covid-19 situations, this problem grew worse. You have to strive harder and harder to beat everyone and be the best. We always wish to see the bright side of everything and ignore to see the pains and struggles that a person has faced in attaining that position. When I started my bakery I was extensively nervous and didn’t even have the thought of making money out of it. I knew my principles and ethics. I wanted my work to be appreciated and loved by all. I wanted people to love and enjoy my work. I have recently given my 12th Boards and I’m looking forward to my result. I have given my 100 percent this time as well and wish for promising results. Hard work never goes in vain. I was on top of the world when I had received my first order. I had gone the extra mile to make it a perfect one. I was merry and contended with the response of our customer. Gradually, we started advertising and popularizing the bakery. We had built up a good clientage and healthy relations. Our business started increasing and became the talk of the town. I feel soo proud when I see back at myself. I am an independent 18-year-old girl who runs a bakery of her own! I have always respected my work and have never stopped learning. I suppose there isn’t a full stop for enhancing and learning more about your field. I have never asked my parents for any sort of investment and never will. I will never be overconfident and egoistic, this is my utmost promise to all. We are doing great now and have access to 5-7 big orders and plenty of small ones per day. I keep on playing with various cake fillings and designs. I never sit idle and always try to refine my skills. According to me, You are never too old or young to start your own business. Make your talent your profession. Just be dedicated and loyal to it. This will surely take you one step closer to your dreams.”