16 September,2012 09:09 AM IST | | Bhairavi Jhaveri
Everything about Maya Ne Banaya is about labourious love. From the braided girl happily thrusting a pink cake on the packaging sticker, to the font used for the brand name, everything is hand-drawn, hand-written and illustrated just the way Maya Sarao would like it. A young actor-writer, Sarao loves details and is extremely fastidious about everything she does - including every batch of delicious baked goods that she puts out every Wednesday and Saturday. The banana bread, almond biscotti or the lemon brownies - all her delights are always made "Apne haaton se. Jyaadatar icing ke bina. High on taste, low on drama," says her Facebook page. That too without a mixer and blender.u00a0
Quirky Sarao's cake names are also inspired by people she knows and loves, such as âMama Sue Where Are You Banana Bread', dedicated to a friend's mother, who baked the best banana bread; and the âHapPSingh Nutella Cake' named after a close friend who loves her Nutella Cake. Simple.
Like most bakers, Sarao started baking as a hobby, but after feeding friends with her scrumptiousness for several years, she decided to spread the love to strangers with a sweet tooth.
She now puts out a menu every Sunday for the week - one item on Wednesday and one item on Saturday - and then personally delivers on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 4 pm to 7 pm between Juhu and Bandra only. The reason we call it âlabourious' love is because she spends the nights before the day of delivery baking all night until 8 am. She gets three hours of shut-eye before she is up again, slicing, packaging and sorting out last-minute details before the evening delivery run, which she makes from her kitchen in Yari Road by rickshaw, or sometimes even the bus.
Lemonies or Lemon Brownies by Maya Ne Banaya
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That's a lot of work for cake! But then, it's not just cake. It's a whole lot of happiness that arrives at your doorstep in a cute brown paper bag, wrapped in retro doily paper and a blue cartoon version of Sarao glued to it. And when you open it, at just about the right time when you are looking for an evening break and a cup of tea, you are delighted to eat something (five slabs to be specific) so fresh, feather-light, and packed with flavour.
Since she launched two weeks ago, the Almond Biscotti, Intensely Chocolatey Chocolate Chip Cookie, Lemonies (lemon brownies), Banana Bread and Nutella Cake have "sold like hot cakes," she says. She plans her menu depending on what she feels like cooking that week, and restricts it to just two items every week so that the menu doesn't stagnate too quickly. "I bake only what I love, so you will never find anything with raisins here," she says. Things to watch out for: Macaroons, Chocolate Chip Scones, and Lemon Doughnut Cake.
Order, order
Every Sunday, Maya will put out the week's menu on the facebook page. For the Wednesday's item, you can order until Tuesday 7 pm, and for Saturday's item, you can order until Friday 7 pm. u00a0Deliveries will be made only between Juhu and Bandra, from 4 pm to 7 pm for an extra charge of Rs 75. Orders can also be collected from the Yari Road kitchen before 7 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays. www.facebook.com/mayanebanaya
For: Rs 180 to Rs 200 for a bag of 5 pieces/slabs
Call: 9820715866 u00a0
