The Baker Showcase - Bangalore Chapter - Grand Finale

What a fitting finale - is all I am going to say. Do wait for the post event write up by KP. However, there's going to be something in the blog. First off, the road trip to Bangalore with the Photostrophe team - Jenny and Raghu. Food & music kept us company through the trip. As we moved on, we spotted a few bikers in Bullets, and I tried to shoot them (in vain) :-). There were quite some scary moments on the road (one in particular near the Krishnagiri toll) but lots of funny moments, especially when we saw a goat riding pillion in a bike :D :D (and no we didn't get pictures of that)

It was an exhausting day, but seeing the bakers gave me all the enthusiasm I needed. It was very kind of Sini to drop by.

The drive back to Chennai was uneventful, with an awesome lunch at Gyan Vaishnav Dhaba (er.. did I get it right?) at Vellore. Tummies full, we reached Madras in record time and I can't wait to put up the pictures.

Update:
Here's another post-event write up. This post is dedicated to Lavanya Lakshmanan (she wasn't able to make it to the event and I did miss her).

I landed at YWCA at 3 pm after juggling through the crazy Bengaluru traffic. (This place is right next to the Koramangala Police Station, weird in a way because the gate is invisible and one tends to get inside the police station - Oh it happened - :P)

PS: I even had a name tag - yay - thank you guys. 

The bakers were setting up their tables; I said a quick round of hellos to all of them and noticed that Charmaine had finished setting up. After getting some quick pictures at their table, I weaved around to see what was happening and to block some of the items on sale (Now, I know Bala couldn't quite get his hands on some desserts, so the easiest way is to pay up-front and ask them to keep it aside - *evil grin*).

And then, as I looked around, I was suddenly lost. I wasn't sure if I entered the baker showcase hall or was it a fashion parade! Amazing clothes ! (I was mentally kicking myself for having forgone my mini skirt in favor of a plain old salwar kameez) And being a big fan of jewelry, I noticed this pretty lady in a super huge jhumka, that I couldn't resist asking her where she got it. (There's a photo of her and her earring below). I met yet another lady, and both of us were smiling when we noticed we were wearing similar earrings. (I quite forgot what we spoke about, but I do remember most part was about the earring)

The bakers themselves were beautiful to look at. I particularly loved Vaishnavi's top, and of course, I loved Hamsini's shirt, with the multi color scarf around her neck. Boy, she absolutely resembles my cousin (Savi akka - if you are reading this - then Hamsini looks a lot like you). Vibha - I loved your blue too :D

Alright, let's get to what was on display - now, where do I start - cup cakes, fondant work (thank you Vibha for the panda ;-) ) , hand painted chocolates, flourless cake with almond and maple syrup, chilli choc cup cake, brownies, blondies, bread baskets, plum cakes, Pinocchio cup cakes and the likes, not to mention Vibha's "Decorate your cup cake" special for the kids. And I loved the cheesecake in a jar (from Vaishnavi); I'd bought it purely because I loved the jar; But I'd realize later on that I loved the cheesecake just as much! (The little lavender flower stuck to the jar is now decorating my microwave oven; I didn't have the heart to throw it)

What doting husbands & families our bakers have - Prithvi and Conan (that's Mr Vaishali and Mr Ashwini) were taking care of their wives' stalls and even suggested what exactly we need to buy from them! The entire clan descended to Vibha's aid - her in-laws were proud of what she had done! Ditto for Nikitha. Hamsini had loads of volunteers to help her and Heena's best friend was around to help her. Vaishnavi's husband shot pictures of everyone else other than her stall! :-P Ankita's little one wasn't well, yet she put up a brave face.

Heena was the first to sell out - 150 pieces in under 30 mins. She was followed by the rest of the bakers and in under 90 minutes almost everyone sold out. There was a great demand for Hamsini's macaroons (even those that were on show purely for decorative purposes had takers).

What really amazed me at this event was the kind of packing every dessert had. Such delicate work, I am sure it must have taken tremendous effort and time, but it was worth every sleepless night! The pink covers for the blondies, the neat brown thread tie-up for Hamsini's goodies, the little box for the fondant work - excellent from the word go!

Kids and adults thoroughly enjoyed the evening; At about 4 pm, I hardly had any space to stand and had to venture out for some fresh air.

This event gave me the opportunity to meet lots of people (who hitherto have just been online acquaintances) and somewhere there's a bond beyond just baking. (Psst - I already have a few lunch dates lined up :P - spicy Andhra cuisine to the tangy Punjabi cuisine)

Despite the tiring travel, the event was fun and just kept me going through the weekend. And yes, the jinx is now broken. May we now look forward to many more such events! (in many other cities)

Good show KP - once again - take a bow dude!  Vaishnavi and Hamisni - you girls too! You deserve all the applause! (clap clap clap)

And all your bakers - do take a bow! Great event! :-)

The full set is available in Facebook in the guild page - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.435032519872254&type=1

Here's KP's write up: http://www.thefoodiediaries.in/2012/09/the-baker-showcase-bangalore.html

More pictures are available in the Guild. https://www.facebook.com/groups/homebakersguild/photos/