Meet the bakers - Vibha Gupta

Vibha sent me a note with a sad smiley, asking if I had forgotten her and why I hadn't written to her! That's when I realized my bakers were taking this blog super seriously and notwithstanding my writer's block and illness, I wrote to her. :-) (and it was so lovely to read whatever she had written, that my fingers were simply playing on the keyboard. And that her daughter clicked Send even before she could finish the email, is another story :P)

Meet the mother, wife, daughter-in-law, sister, daughter, friend, home manager and an agony aunt - Vibha Gupta of Sugarcraft.


D: What prompted you to start Sugar craft?
VG: I like to celebrate every small and big thing in my life and in the lives of people around me. Be it in making and presenting food (even a simple breakfast or snack), home decor, dressing up my daughter, painting or even expressing my anger (how can someone creatively express anger? Vibha - please let me know, I am sure people at home would be happy ;-)) Sugar crafting came to me when I found that its the perfect way of expressing absolutely anything on a cake. It brings such joy to the eyes and makes the person almost re-live experiences and create memories that can last for a life time. My philosophy in life is "why should any thing be boring when it can be beautiful? "

D: Have you been retailing? If not, future plans?
VG: I have been making cakes on special orders and collaborating with others in the cake business and creating for them sugar craft cake accessories to better their cake expressions.I spend time with the clients understanding what they want and like their cake to be.I definitely dream to have a bakery of my own. I will get there in time.

D: As a home baker, how's HBG and showcase helping you grow?
VG: HBG is the most amazing thing that has come out of Facebook for me after me finding my long lost friends. A page which has it all - bakers who share the same amount of passion and oodles more, the friendliness in sharing recipes and helping one another. It's like an extended family that is there to guide support and even mentor you regardless of how simple or complex the problem is. The concept is beautiful and an extremely successful one. Three Cheers to Bala & Nanditha.

D: 100 butterflies and 100 doves? - what was that for? :) must have been exhausting? How did you manage?
VG: That was for a baker friend of mine, helping her make her yummy creations even more beautiful. She so wisely said you do what you do best and I will do what I do best :-). After all out sourcing has become ubiquitous  ;-)

D: What difficulties do you face while making these intricate designs? I am sure you need tremendous concentration, with what the non stop phone calls, someone at the door and all that?
VG: My workspace is my dining table and kitchen. I have soothing music on almost all the time while crafting. I usually work at night once I have put my daughter and hubby to bed. It's the best time of the day or should I say night? They are fast asleep and I can focus totally. Also no phone calls & thankfully no doorbells too at night. Difficulties is the weather at times but an AC and adjustment in the recipe carries me through.

Her daughter is the first to taste the gum paste for the craft. Vibha gives a little of the gum paste to her daughter for crafting, and more often than not, it ends up directly in the little one's tummy.

That peacock in the picture was freehand design, made for a client's mom's 60th :-)

See you soon at the showcase and all the very best!