‘The Bakery Business in India is Developing Fast’

MAJORED in Science in University, Chef Arpitha Harish was interested in food too and was secretly happy to learn that her subjects would change from Science to Cuisine.

“I graduated from IHM Aurangabad in 2008 and back then it was one of the few colleges which only had Culinary Arts as a singularly dedicated stream. During that period, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture on Space food with NASA and that’s when I knew cuisine was my calling,” she told us.

Harish has been working with the Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris for over 8 years and is currently the Chef de Cuisine Patisserie at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.  “The industry has definitely developed since the time I began my career, with the development of social media, we can now experience moments happening elsewhere in the world, the opening of a new bakery or even breakthrough in techniques and ingredients,” Harish says.

According to the Chef, chocolate making in India has developed a keen interest in the past few years. “There has been a rise of cocktail inspired chocolates and even chocolate flavors that remind people of their childhood memory.  People are aware of the cocoa content of chocolate in contrast from earlier where the differentiation was just based on color,” she says.

Harish added that this year has seen a rise in bean to bar artisan companies promoting local ingredients infused with these chocolates. “The bakery business in India is developing fast and people enjoy desserts, especially breads and are even experimental with plated desserts in restaurants too. It’s challenging and exciting to be a part of this change in the food industry,” Harish stated.

Professionally trained at a pastry school in France, she has worked with renowned bread makers, chocolatiers and candy makers such as Olivier Bajrard, Oriol Balaguer, Henri Poch and Phillipe Rigollot both in France and Spain.

Harish believes that patisserie is an art and it is never too late to stop learning. Harish wants to develop the patisserie craft in-house and continue making innovative confections, wedding cakes and delicious bread for guests at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.