A bake meet to remember

KOCHI: Meena, a former IT professional, is a Kochi-based stay-at-home mom. Ever since her three-year-old child was admitted to the nearby Montessori school, she turned to baking to pass the time. Learning to bake items, ranging from lemon pound cake and strawberry meringue cake to red velvet cake and cheesecake, she gradually became a home baker whose cakes were more than just eatables, but works of art.

Her friends would ask her to bake cakes for their kids' birthdays, and some would even offer an exorbitant amount of money. To empower bakers such as Meena, Knead It is organising a Home Bakers' Meet at Le Meridien in Kochi on January 12. 

According to organiser Ram Iyer, the meet targets advanced home bakers seeking more knowledge about ongoing trends. "The bakers will be taught about different techniques. Normally, it will cost a lot of money to learn these independently," he says.

 The meet will see five experts imparting their knowledge and expertise. They include the Kochi-based Anna Gigi Joseph, who will demonstrate how to make a wafer-thin paper Indian lotus, New Delhi-based Ipshita Chakladar will focus on Korean buttercream flowers, the Hyderabad-based Radha Dhaka on the facial features in figurines, the Mumbai-based Swati K Soni on Aquafaba Meringue and the Kochi-based Sarah Zia Adeel on cake sickles. "We have a mixture of local and pan-Indian talents giving intensive sessions. Through this, we aim to promote the local community by creating a network of bakers," says Ram. 

The seats are limited to 40 and the registration fee is Rs 3,300 including all expenses. Those interested can call Ram and Gina Iyer at 9820335489, 9987065672.