Today we’d like to introduce you to Vidya Thuduma.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Vidya. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always had a special fondness for cakes and pastries, or for that matter, anything that you can possibly lay your eyes on in a bakery. In fact, one of my most vivid memories surrounding desserts dates back to my early childhood when my dad and I would make regular visits to the local bakery. That feeling of being enthralled by the sight of all the cakes and pastries on display is something that fills me with excitement even today. The child in me was captured by those desserts on display with the awe that can only be compared to seeing a stunning museum artifact. That is what cakes meant to me.
I have no doubt that my love for desserts was something that was instilled in me by far deeper experience, thanks to two of the most wonderful cooks I grew up around – my mom and my grandmother. Cooking wasn’t just a chore in our household; it was sacrosanct in many ways. Food was more than a meal. It was a creative outlet that was infused with flavor and love. In our home, food was what bonded us. We were taught to respect it and, more importantly, offer it generously to others and share it. I had the most wonderful time being the official taster of everything lovingly prepared by my mom and grandmother. Needless to say, I loved spending time in the kitchen with them, helping and learning. But I must confess, cakes and desserts captured my heart like nothing else did. As a kid, I was immensely fascinated by the artistry of these desserts. This curiosity was further heightened, given there were no bakers in my family and I longed to see how these exquisite pieces of sugary delights were brought to life. This is what I believe fuelled a deep passion in me for baking. I was determined to learn the art of this culinary science long before I could fathom that someday it would change my life.
If you must know, despite my love for it, baking wasn’t the obvious career path for me. I am an Engineer with an MBA in Marketing and Finance with a career that had me working as a Market Analyst and a Sustainability Consultant. My baking experiments started when I bought my very first oven in 2005. I was thrilled beyond measure. But the joy was short-lived as there weren’t very many culinary resource materials on baking that I could get hold of. I started baking out of instinct and most of my experiments failed. With time, my career as an Analyst took precedence over my hobby, but my love for baking was forever alive and kicking. I loved cakes and I was not willing to give up my dream to bake myself a cake worthy of the same admiration I lavished on that local bakery as a little girl. And that moment presented itself when I baked my very first Lightning McQueen cake in 2013. It was for my son’s 4th birthday. The look on my son’s face when he saw and took the very first bite of that cake was all the confidence and compliment I ever needed to propel me to explore the possibilities of making magic with baking. It was possibly the turning point that has me discussing cakes with you today. Ever since that day, baking a cake or a brownie or a cookie became a weekly family tradition, where I’d share my creations with everyone from family to friends and colleagues. The joy they experienced with my baking was a personal victory for me and encouraged me to do more and push my boundaries.
It was providence at play when in 2014, my husband had the wonderful opportunity to work in the USA. I quit my job and accompanied him. Little did I know that this move would be a life-changer for me. In my spare time, I busied myself with baking, watching tutorials on YouTube, reading cookbooks and consuming baking blogs with a voracious appetite. I was keen to learn and understand the science of baking. Soon I had my second child and in 2018, I baked his first birthday cake. It was loved not just by my family but everyone who tasted it. The reviews were humbling and emotional. I took these emotions and those that I had garnered over the years and built Vidya’s Cakes and Treats. In the beginning, I was taking orders mostly from friends and colleagues, and thanks to the reviews and their compliments, soon, other customers followed suit – all of this solely through word-of-mouth engagement.
This, in a jist, is my story, or rather just the start of Vidya’s Cakes and Treats. I am enjoying every bit of this journey and can’t wait to experience the countless possibilities of creating cakes and memories for my customers. I can’t thank my husband enough for the love and faith he has shown in me. My kids are one of the most important reasons behind me picking up my lost confidence and rekindling my passion for baking. They continue to motivate and challenge me everyday and I hope to continue to spread joy and delight with my baking.
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t quite know what a smooth road entails to be very honest. In my personal experience, there is no such thing as a smooth road when you seek to push your boundaries and get out of your comfort zone. There is no feeling of pleasure or comfort when you love something but continue to fail at it. It can be heartbreaking. It was no different for me. I can recount the emotions I felt when my initial baking experiments would fail, and I couldn’t help feeling I would never be a good enough baker, that it just wasn’t for me. But that is when the greatest motivator is your love for that thing. I failed yes, but I also kept alive my will to learn. I am a self-taught baker who dedicated my time and myself to learning, experimenting and opening my heart to being inspired. And I have been inspired and awed by some of the greatest bakers there are for which I am deeply thankful. It is not an easy ride by any means, especially when you set your benchmarks very high, all while raising two beautiful children. But those benchmarks and the sleepless nights have paved the way for this dream to be a reality today. So I’d say the rocky roads have turned this journey into an adventure and I wouldn’t want to change a thing.
When the road gets too adventurous, I remind myself – “Passion, practice, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”
We’d love to hear more about Vidya’s Cakes and Treats.
Baking is my passion and cake art is the culmination of that dream. When I create cakes, the underlying sentiment is not just for it to look beautiful and taste delicious, but for it to tug at the heart of the person, it is made for. I bake to create memories for those that eat it; to make them feel special and to show them that they are worthy of that masterpiece. I specialize in egg-free cakes with Indian fusion flavors along with classic western flavors.
As a custom baker, I love creating custom cakes, cupcakes, cake jars, macarons, cakesicles, and cookies for every occasion with a unique personalized touch. It’s about making it special for the customer. Besides cakes, Vidya’s Cakes and Treats also offers a diverse range of dessert hampers during festive seasons like Diwali and Christmas.
What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
One of my regular customers once said to me, ‘You make my dreams come true through your cakes’; so, I would say, my future plan is to continue to make dreams come true for my customers.
On a serious note, though, I would continue to learn and explore the possibilities of curating different varieties of cakes. This is what I love doing the most. Since I am a self-taught baker myself, I have started my official YouTube channel. I wish to make my channel a one-stop platform for all those who are passionate to learn about baking. This would also serve as a means to interact with like-minded people and bounce ideas. The possibilities are immense and we have only just scratched the surface so far. I am excited for this next phase and look forward to making many more dreams come true and also enable others to harness their love for baking and find true joy in the process.
Contact Info:
- Email: vidyabasant@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vidyascakesandtreats/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vidyavthuduma/
http://www.youtube.com/c/HobbyBakerVidya
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