Baker Brigade - Apeksha Agarwal

Apeksha Agarwal

The daughter of the Kitchen Queen title winner of Jaipur, Apeksha Agarwal is the proud daughter of her super-talented mother. Despite belonging to a Marwari family that essentially thrives on food, Apeksha’s mom was not interested in cooking as a young bride. Post marriage she tried her hand at various talents, and excelled in many of them. Cooking, quite naturally, was mastered to a fine art. Apeksha spoke so warmly about her mom, that I almost feel like doing an article on her! Maybe that will be next on the agenda post the Baker Showcase. :-)

Another thought that struck me both during and since the conversation with Apeksha, was the tone of her musical, lilting voice over the phone. It sounded like she had a smile on her face with each sentence she spoke. Left me with a warm feeling. That’s a wonderful quality, Apeksha, may your tribe increase!

It is about 7 odd months since she officially began her bakery biz named Sweet Fairy. Fairy is a word she’s always been fascinated with from a very young age, and imagined she would use it in the name of whichever enterprise she would begin some day. Once she discovered baking, the name Sweet Fairy seemed to fit just perfectly. Cupcakes, tea cakes, customized cakes, cookies and desserts, chocolates and homemade breads are Sweet Fairy's specialities.

Since most of Apeksha's loved ones are vegetarian, she became an expert in eggless baking. She says, "There is a common misconception that eggless baking does not deliver the same soft results as goodies made with eggs. Sweet Fairy was started to specifically cater to all to enjoy desserts, hence we make everything eggless. The texture of all my products is very similar to what people bake with eggs."

She has been taking baking orders for family and friends for about 4-5 years now. Apeksha sources only the best quality ingredients and her goodies are made only on order, and hence always fresh.

Apeksha has been in Chennai for 7 years now, the longest in any city considering all the travelling and moving she’s experienced with her husband’s profession. She worked as a trainer -- helping people learn the art of making presentations -- before settling down to look after home and hearth. While her husband works at Ford Motors and her son plays with little dinky cars, Apeksha is driven by her hobbies – cross-stitch embroidery work, and of course, baking.

Sugar-free cupcakes and cookies are her forte, and a majority of Apeksha’s customers are among the vast population of Jains in the city. Her low-fat treats are specifically catered to meet the needs of the calorie conscious and those with diabetes.

On display at her table at the Baker Showcase today, are Mickey Mouse shaped cookies with an interesting 3D structure that kids would love.

Then there are buttermilk-based Velvet Cupcakes in 4 different colours – red, green, yellow and orange. And last but not the least of the 7 varieties of baked goodies from her stable, will be the East-meets-West range of cupcakes. She calls them thus because they contain the softness and structure of a cupcake, at the same time are topped with cardamom-flavoured icing, making for an interesting fusion to watch out for. 

Apeksha will also showcase the classic always-in-demand bakery staple -- eclairs! These are eggless and hence guilt-free, as she puts it.

Writing all these articles and sorting through all the yummy pics, I wonder if even the neighbours can hear the rumblings in my tummy grow louder by the hour, as the countdown to the Showcase begins!!

Sweet Fairy FB page