Tomy David is known by most people as the doctor who bakes. A member of World Impact Community Church, Tomy laughs as he says: “Most of my church members don’t know me by name. They refer to me as ‘that doctor who bakes’ as I used to bake cakes for our church Bible study group, prayer meetings, et all.”
Working at a Developmental Paediatric OPD, Tomy bakes everything from cupcakes with delicate handcrafted icing to delicious pick-me-up tiramisu. His chocolate cake, cupcakes and muffins, he says, are favourites amongst his customers. And although his baked goods are rich, the doctor does “prescribe” low fat versions. “I do warn my clients of the calories involved when they order my regular treats. I suggest that they order the low fat cupcakes that I make or opt for the low fat frosting as icing for their cakes, instead,” says Tomy.
A friend of his was his first client. She saw photos of his baking triumphs on Facebook and wanted him to bake a custom-made cake for her daughter’s birthday two months ago. “She wanted something which had a house and a garden. As I love a good challenge, I accepted it and I came up with a house-shaped birthday cake with fondant and butter cream decorations for the garden. There was a dog and a little girl in the garden.”
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The cake took Tomy two days to complete as he had to squeeze it in between his work. “I work at a children’s developmental institute and am part of an NGO called VIVO, consisting of mostly doctors, engineers and social workers who are working for a social change. For instance, we go to various schools and talk to students about health-related issues. We recently held classes for senior boys of Loyola and St. Thomas Central School on pornography and its addiction,” says Tomy who is an alumnus of St. Thomas Residential School and Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.
While most home bakers would prefer baking simple cakes, Tomy likes complicated recipes. “I love trying out challenging recipes and enjoy complex icing and fondant work. In fact, I make my own fondant,” says Tomy who is looking forward to baking an Angry Bird’s themed cake, a Lightening McQueen-shaped (think Cars ) cake and a jungle-themed cake for two of his customers.
So, where does he find the recipes for his kitty of goodies? “From various blogs and YouTube… I try them and improvise. Sometimes it works, and sometimes, well, I end up with an utter disaster.”
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It was while he was in the tenth standard at St. Thomas Residential School that Tomy began baking. “My late mother, Dr. Florence, and I would spend our mother-son bonding sessions baking. The first thing we baked together was a Lazy Daisy cake.”
Baking soon turned into a hobby and a passion for Tomy. “I don’t bake for a profit, I bake out of the love of baking. It is a great way to de-stress but I do hate the cleaning up part though.”
The doctor, who is awaiting the result of his master’s degree entrance examination, says he prefers not to take bulk orders and does not do home deliveries. He takes orders only through his FB page www.facebook.com/DoctorBakes.