Baking a Dream by Kainaz Messman is an invitation to sit on their dinner table and be privy to a 15- year journey as a family baked Theobroma into Mumbaiu2019s nascent patisserie scene AS the rickshaw stops outside building No. 33 in Deonar village, we know we have arrived, for the building is painted in the exact shade of pista- green as the takeaway box of Theobroma that we flipped open so many times for a millionaire brownie. On the agenda is a meeting with founder- owner and chef Kainaz Messman, whose book Baking a Dream ( Harper Collins) co- authored with sister Tina Messman Wykes, is set to release on March 13.
Dressed in a sunshine yellow top and pants, her poker straight hair is pulled behind her ears, like always. We glance at the collection of cookbooks when she offers to make us a short espresso. As the coffee machine wheezes, we flip through the book and meet the Messmansu2014 Farokh, wife Kamal and their daughters Tina and Kainaz.
We are now privy to casual family banter about starting a business in 2004. It seems like a day- byday acstay, bore her now? She laughs. u201c Not when I make them, but it is not my first choice to eat. I love the custard cru00e8me anglaise, with chopped banana and strawberry. I also love lemon tarts,u201d she says, bringing in a batch for us to try as we take a clumsy, greedy bite of the khattu meethu curd.
Her office fronts a three- storeyed kitchen set up. She spends considerable time at the Quality Assurant Lab where five products are picked randomly every day and studied for quality. u201c Two chefs, a project manager and I review them. The tasters keep changing so that different palates are reviewing our products every day,u201d she explains.
Work, says Kainaz, is her meditative kriya. u201c I used to be in the kitchen every dayu2014 cooking, shouting, screaming. When the business grew, it required a larger perspective, and for that, I had to step out of the kitchen to see what was needed. But it wasnu2019t easy.u201d Instead, she has learnt to develop the hawku2019s eye, continuously questioning what she puts out and taking feedback on her chin.
In the book, there is a section titled Apology. Here, she says sorry for a wedding cake that fell apart during transport, and cupcakes that didnu2019t make it to a birthday party in time. u201c There are many days we recall a product at a huge cost, but then if it is bad, it should not have gone out in the first place. I am now on the board and answerable to investors. There is a fear of going old and stale if I am not in touch with my customers.
I just received my KRA [ Key Result Area; positive results to be realised for the organisation to achieve its strategic goal( s)] for 2020 and it involves spending time at the outlets. Over the years, Theobroma has evolved, but there is still so much more to d o .u201d phorum. dalal@ mid- day.
com She speaks of comfort through food, the sort that makes us turn to the familiar khichdi on a day when we arenu2019t feeling very well. u201c People take us for granted, but thatu2019s why they come back to us for the known,u201d she adds.
In the book, Kainaz reveals that she didnu2019t want to helm a thriving hospitality business. u201c I was happy with one store and being in the kitchen, which start ed in my grandmotheru2019s home, Shirin Manzil. Even now, there are days when I donu2019t want to do this.
The thought of launching in a new city, starting from scratch, sometimes overwhelms me. You could have worked in the kitchen for 50 years, but you still donu2019t know enough about food.u201d The old- world bent of mind is evident in her decision not to be proactive on social media. u201c Again, it boils down to the kind of people we are. I donu2019t call myself an introvert. I love to chat, but I donu2019t like to be on my phone all the time. I have other priorities, like my three- yearold daughter [ Nina].u201d Speaking of Nina reminds her of the time she was a little girl, and watched her mother run a home- bakery called Not Just Desserts. This was back in the u2019 80s. u201c Itu2019s she who introduced me to new flavours, and I do the same with Nina. When she was teething, I gave her sour dough to chew on. Recently, I took her to Sanjana Patelu2019s chocolate factory where she watched how chocolate is made and couldnu2019t get enough of the pain au chocolat.
Nina is the typi cal Parsi child.
She likes to dip her toast in chai.u201d Do brownies, Theou2019s main count of Theobroma patiseerie opening on Colaba Causeway on a rainy day. There is the first- timer angst, but gradually they find collaborators, like their transitioning CEO Cyrus Shroff who helped them retain the old- world charm in changing times. u201c We had received offers to write a recipe book, but I felt that would be too simple,u201d says Kainaz, an alumnus of Dadaru2019s Institute of Hotel Management. She was only 24 when she launched Theobromau2019s after a back in jury had pulled her out of training with the Oberoi Hotels. From a small staff of three in the first year, she has grown the busi ness to one that supports a strength of 300, with branches in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi, and soon to launch in Hy derabad and Bengaluru.
u201c I know our products are old fashioned, but I am happy with them. I donu2019t want to be part of a customeru2019s special occasion alone. I want us to be part of their daily lives, serving them their cravings,u201d says Kainaz.
This philosophy reflects a turn she has experienced over time, now attract ed to simpler eats than what the hottest chefs are putting out. u201c Fan cy looking things donu2019t interest me.
They tend to look pretty, but donu2019t taste great. I want to be the person who gives people food and happiness on a reg ular day.u201d Growing Theos up with PHORUM DALAL
