From  the  time  Sanjana  Chaganti  turned  11,  she  has  been  asking  for  cooking  supplies  as  birthday  gifts.  It  included  an  oven,  kitchenaid  stand  mixer,  ice  cream  makers,  pasta  machines,  etc.  Today,  the  youngster  sells  various  desserts  under  her  venture  Petite  Patisserie.

A  cooking  enthusiast, Sanjana got into baking when she was 10 and started with basic cakes and cookies. “I was an extremely poor eater until I was 10 but then there was a sudden switch and I began to love food. I  am  a  self-taught  baker  who  learned  from  books  and  internet  resources.  I  had  a  couple  of  bake  sales  when I was young and after that, I  started  taking  orders,”  says  18-year-old Sanjana.

Her   signature   dishes   are   Philadelphia cheesecake, dark chocolate  caramel  tart,  apple  crumble   tart   and   Belgian   chocolate     cake.     When     quizzed  about  her  inspiration   behind   baking,   she  says,  “One  of  my  early   inspirations   was   Mumbai-based pastry chef   Pooja   Dhingra. I had the great opportunity  to  meet  her  and  receive  advice  from her a couple of years ago.

”Before  the  pandemic,  Sanjana  used  to  find  time  on  weekends  and  on  holidays  to  bake  but  wasn’t  able  to  take  too many orders. But when her school shut  in  March  2020,  she  started  baking  regularly  and  perfecting  different  desserts. “I was able to cook every day and  started  taking  orders.  I  allocated  time  for  studies  and  made  sure  my  cooking didn’t affect that. I did not take orders  during  my  exam  or  test  weeks.

Through this process, I learned how to prioritise. When it was announced that my  board  exams  were  delayed  at  end of April, Pooja Reddy from Sweet  Spot,  a  curated  dessert  studio,   contacted   me   and   that   was   when   I   started   supplying   to   Sweet   Spot   as I knew I wouldn’t have school  work  for  at  least  a  month.  And  when  board  exams  got  cancelled,  I  was happy that I would be  able  to  continue  taking  orders  and  supplying,”   shares  Sanjana,  who studied at    The  School Krishnamurti  Foundation India The  youngster,  who  is  busy  with  orders,  tells  us  that   she   doesn’t   rely   on   this  income  and  is  doing  it  out  of  interest.

“I  am  happy  with  the  number  of  orders  I  am  getting  as  I  still  have  time  to  keep  learning.  When  I  cook  something  that  people  enjoy,  I  feel  so  much  gratitude  that  something  I  have  created  has  the  ability  to  gives  others  joy.  My  parents  have  been  extremely   supportive   of   my  cooking,”  adds  San-jana.  She  is  planning  to  get  a  bachelor’s  degree in  culinary  arts  from  The Culinary Institute  of  America in New York.When Dhruva Narayanaswamy turned  3,  he  started  experimenting  in  the  kitchen  along   with   his   mother   Maya.

Three  years  ago,  Dhruva  and  his  friends did a pop-up where they baked and raised money for a cause. When the 2021 summer vacation started Dhruva (9)  and  his  brothers  Arjun  (6)  and  Kabir  (almost  2)  were  wondering  how  to  spend  time  at  home.  That’s  how the idea of starting a baking venture  popped  up  and  they  launched  The Luv and Bear Company. “Dhruva loves watching the cooking show Masterchef Australia.

He tries to bring his twists  to  recipes.  For  now,  we  have  a  standard menu that includes The OG (carrot cake with cream cheese frosting),  Mr  Lemony  Snicket  (lem-on teacake), Triple Threat (fudgy chocolate cookie), Ms Fudgey Mc Fudgeroo (fudgy   chocolate   cake)   and   Chewy   Chips (jaggery butter biscuits). We will be collaborating with Sweet Spot from next   week   onwards   and   the   money   raised from the sales will go to COVID relief,” says Maya, Dhruva’s mother.

When  we  asked  Dhruva  what’s  the  secret  behind  his  desserts  and  how  he  perfects  them,  he  says,  “It’s  simple just follow the recipe while baking.”In   an   earlier   interview   with   us,   10-year-old   baker   Vinusha   MK   said  that  she  had  a  knack  for  baking  and  wanted  to  explore  baking  possibilities. She started a venture  called  Four  Seasons  Pastry.  “I  make  cakes,   cupcakes,   and   other  treats.  The  cup-cakes   are   inspired   by   the four seasons. The base for  the  cupcakes  would  remain the same, but the cream and frosting differs. For winter cupcakes, I make  snowflake  fondant.  Apart  from  cupcakes,  I  also  make  brownies  and  sandwiches,” Vinusha said.