The Great Baker Showcase - Season 3 - Chennai - Grand Finale

The day was here, the day that we were all eagerly awaiting to lay our hands on the amazing goodies that we hitherto only drooled over at the pictures the bakers posted on the showcase page on Facebook.

The venue was a fine choice - the huge auditorium at the Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School, Anderson Road, Egmore. The event oganized by The Home Bakers Guild, co-sponsored by Crimson Chakra, Gormei Market and Passionate Baking not to mention the Asan Memorial College of Arts and Science, was a huge hit once again.

14 talented bakers played to their key strengths and displayed an array of cakes and savories and the customers were spoilt for choice. Keeping up with the tradition, the first baker sold out in an hour. Karthika Shravanti of Bakeman Begins was the first one to sell out and she had plenty time to go around the stalls and indulge. Slowly the rest of the bakers were also selling out. The biriyani and fish pickle brought by Tasneem Aunty sold out in under 15 minutes. And Sara and Girija Menon were not to be left behind. The citrus drizzle cake and the other items from the Soul Food Sisters vanished in no time. I was pure lucky to get my hands on the choicest pieces!

Ayeesha and Divya Ninan followed suit and sold out. Gazeenasulu also cleared her table along with Meghana Karthik and Veena Sakthi. Priya, Nanditha, Yalini and Suzie had hardly a few pieces remaining.

Bakers - Take a bow - You surpass yourselves every time and set a new standard!!

The venue would have seen over a 1000 people drop by to fill their bags :)

This event was a total sell out and part of proceeds go to charity. And I am extremely proud to have been associated with this event right from day 1.

I also had the opportunity to meet and interact with Zenobia Currimbhoy and Dr. Richa Agrawal - Asst Professor - Marketing, IIT Madras. As I went around, I met Rashmee, Anusha, Linu, Sangeetha, Ayesha (Ma Baker) and a load of other bakers who have now become good friends!

This event would not have been successful without the effort of all the volunteers - who put up posters all over town, who helped the bakers set up the table and running around asking if anyone needed help and help pack the bags. There's one special volunteer that I would like to mention here - 8 year old Nayonika. She's Rashmi Ramakrishnan's daughter, the ever-smiling and ever-helpful little darling. Nayonika blogs at http://kidscenter.wordpress.com/ - Do check out her blog and her amazing photographs!

KP Balakumar - Do take a bow - you have done it again! Look forward to the next one.:)

Please look up my Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall for the rest of the pics!

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/

Meet the bakers - Chennai Chapter - Grand Finale

When an event leads up to this, with lots of expectation and one doesn't know what to expect, it's a weird thing, because.. hold on...  this line is crazy, I don't know what I am typing. The evening was undeniably one of brilliance, the coming together of people who we have never met before, yet brought about one of the best evenings ever ! The baker showcase was successful. While that is an understatement, I really can't find any more words to express. So let's just get on to how the event unfolded.

OK People - this event garnered close to 500 people, yes you read it right - Five Hundred !

I'd promised KP that I'd be there at 2 pm to help with the arrangements. We managed to tie the 5 by 4 banner outside Crimson Chakra. The guests were still dining inside the restaurant and we were twiddling our thumbs not knowing what to do ! Nikhil Moturi, the brilliant soul he is, said we could use the tables as and when they freed up, so we started setting up the bakers.

By 330, we'd set up all the bakers and were ready for our first customers. But hey, did I mention people started walking by at 245, asking me if the fest started yet ! I had to send them back and ask them to come back in 45 mins. I walked around and got a quick glimpse of what each one was setting up.

I managed to convince Kuki to keep my baklava muffins separately and picked up some goodies from RoseAnne before they sold out. I also managed some rum balls from Prerna. Rivka sweetheart - thank you so much for the corn and spinach pie and the chocolate brownie. Out of the world. Linu -  I got to lick and swipe the crumbs, loved it nonetheless :)  Rashmee - I had some of your stuff, but sorry I didn't know what it was, there was too much to eat and too many people to talk to !

Aysha - loved your quiet demeanor and Nanditha - how can I miss you - lavender cookies - yay, I was the first one to taste them :D

Anusha - I hope Shraddha is good now. :-) Naughty girl, wearing her mommy's name tag :D

The crowd went berserk carrying huge takeaways. Nikhil brainwave to actually setup some seating outside eased the pressure inside the restaurant. Lots of people were sitting outside, enjoying the cool breeze, gossiping munching on some chocolate-y goodies, meeting friends; there were hugs and laughter all around. Photo sessions, people quietly gorging on the muffins, hand shakes, smiles, the vibe was truly one of a carnival and festivity.

At 5 pm, when I went on my rounds, I  noticed most of them had sold out :) And as people walked in, I was worried they are going to return empty handed.

At 530 - everything was sold out. Not even crumbs remained. Crimson staff cleaned up the place real quick in time for dinner.

Aswin and I were waiting out, I was watching the droplets of rain and he, busy with client calls on a Saturday (DUH), and then, someone walked in ! Whoa - meeting someone from my school, class 6, after 22 years, at the Baker Showcase? This is the feather on the cap ! Prabha Dixit, So awesome meeting you, although too bad the event had sold out ! Perhaps next time, I'll keep you posted so you can drop by much earlier. We talked on for over 30 mins and I also had Aswin take a pic of us :)

As we went back for dinner inside, I couldn't stop myself from wondering - If this event is this successful, it was because of the efforts of some amazing people, who have put their heart and soul into this, especially KP. I am sure it has been exhausting but nonetheless, you saw the results of your hard work today ! You can take a bow ! :-)

KP - Truly honored to have worked with you on this. Nikhil - You proved yet again what a thorough gentleman you are. Sandesh Reddy - Thanks for your amazing support !

Watch out for this space, in a few days, for the event coverage of "Meet the bakers" - Bangalore Chapter.

Cheers and I will remember this for a long time to come !