It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas at Thomas K. Thomas’ house at Gowreesapattom. “I have a special plum cake in the oven and am currently mixing the dough for some gingerbread cookies. I love the ‘Christmasy’ smells of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger wafting in the air; the heavenly smell of baked goods promises a merry Christmas for everyone,” says Thomas.
A phone call comes and Thomas grabs a pen to jot down a bake order. “Since its Christmas, everyone wants plum cakes, Christmas puddings, Yule logs and the like. Cupcakes are now gaining popularity as gifts for family and friends too.”
A plum cake baked by Thomas
The preparations for the festive season began a month ago, with the maceration of fruits. “I must have soaked at least 10 kg of fruits such as raisins, kiwi, apricot…,” says Thomas, who also serves everything from delicate hand-crafted iced red velvet cupcakes to pick-me-up slices of Snickers cheesecake topped with gooey chocolate ganache and whipped cream.
But then the 27-year-old is no stranger to the kitchen. The chef-turned-homebaker has worked at Park Hyatt, Ahmedabad and Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai.
“I quit because I felt that if I continued under somebody I wouldn’t be able to grow individually as a baker. I also thought it would be nice to be my own boss. While studying the market, I realised that cakes, especially homebaked ones were much sought after.”
In this age, where nearly every homebaker has turned their passion for baking into a money spinner, Thomas says his USP is his range of flavours.
Right now, it’s Red velvet cakes and chocolate-based cakes that are selling like hot cakes. “The film Premam brought the Red velvet cake into the limelight and while chocolate-based cakes have always been eternal favourites, very few have tried a dash of peppermint in their cakes; it’s a lovely combination.”
A birthday cake baked by Thomas
It was his mother, Kochurani, says Thomas, who introduced him to the kitchen. “I used to assist mom in the kitchen. I loved to watch the various cookery shows on television and would dutifully jot down recipes.”
It was while pursuing a degree in hotel management at Christ University, Bangalore, that he decided on a career in baking and patisserie. Thomas, who enjoys the creativity one can display while decorating a cake, says he and his mother often argue about the amount of icing that is needed on cakes. “I feel too much icing hides the flavour of the cake, while she says less icing makes the cake look flat,” says Thomas who markets his goodies through a page on Facebook (Truffles patisserie- home made cakes).
This alumnus of St. Thomas Central School hopes to start a bake shop of his own soon. “It will specialise in classic French desserts.”
