I really have no time to spare, so you can talk to me whilst I ice this plum cake. My job, as you can see, is no piece of cake this time of year. I started my day today at 7 a.m. and have been on my feet since. Lunch, was a 10-minute break. Although my day usually ends by 4 p.m. as it’s the Christmas season, I am staying back a tad longer. I love it though; there is something nice about the smell of fresh breads, cakes and other goodies in and from the oven.
I am the head baker here. I have assistants but I enjoy doing most of the work myself. Ours is a small unit so the work load is not too heavy.
During Christmas, it’s cakes, cakes and more cakes until Christmas day. After Christmas, this madness in the kitchen is over and business is as usual. It’s usually variations of fruit cakes such as plum cake, rich fruit cake and fruit and nut cake that the customers want during the season. We mix the fruits for the cakes a month in advance. While some customers pick up our cakes from the shelves, most place orders. During the Christmas season, there are days when we bake close to 500 cakes.
Since cakes were the focus, we have stopped the production of certain items such as breads, for instance, and have had limited sales of snacks such as meat rolls and cutlets the last few days. We will resume the baking of our regular cakes, bakes and other goodies now that the Christmas rush is over.
My father was a master baker at a bakery at Pulimood and I started my career by assisting him at a young age. I must have been 12; I am 46 years old now. I have been with The Western Bakery for years now. I live nearby with my family, so it’s convenient. I took a hiatus when I went to West Asia to further my training. I was there for 10 years and when I returned, I rejoined the bakery.
After work, I am usually busy helping out at weddings. I make good North Indian sweets, so I usually assist caterers in making them. The evenings are spent with my wife and son.
As I have a bit of a sweet tooth, I love my job and I don’t plan on hanging my apron anytime soon.
(A weekly column on the men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
