Ode To Abu

Friday, 21 June 2013

Baker Brigade - Amrita Samuel & Judy Patricia

Primarily started as a forum to encourage and support women entrepreneurs interested in baking, HBG always includes a few participants who are new to the Baker Showcase concept, although not so new to baking/cooking.

One such entry is from Amrita Samuel and Judy Patricia – who will be sharing a table tomorrow. 

Amrita Samuel

"I eat anything as long as it does not bite back - this best describes my relationship with food. From baking chocolate cakes with mud pies as a 5-year-old to actually making the edible versions 10 years later, baking & cooking has been in my blood. I can actually taste the recipe when I read it (the calories get absorbed too in the process!!). This love for food was one of the reasons I studied Hotel Management, but did not pursue it professionally & remained a 'hobby chef' instead. After a 15 year break, I rekindled my relationship with baking about a year ago & have been loving every moment of it since then.”

That’s what Amrita said when I asked her to tell me a bit about herself. A fairly recent and not quite an active member of HBG yet, she is in the process of learning the art of taking the right pictures of the food she creates and the style of presenting it. She has now decided to devote her time to her passion after spending 13 odd years in the corporate field of HR. Amrita is also a certified scuba diver and enjoys diving into the deep seas of the Andamans with her hubby.

As a mom of two kids aged 3 and 7 years, Amrita is happy to stick to traditional & wholesome baked goodies such as muffins and breads – which are her forte. She uses whole wheat, oil and fruits in her recipes. She also enjoys making a variety of mousses and no-bake cheesecakes.


For tomorrow’s Baker Showcase, Amrita is churning out a basket of blondies, brownies, lemons bars, cinnamon rolls, and savoury rolls such as the popular Olive, Herb and Cheese flavour. If time permits, she might also make Chicken & Sausage rolls. Her muffin section would display varieties like Apple Cinnamon, Banana Walnut and Chocolate Chip.

Cinnamon Rolls are special to Amrita, not just for their obvious taste, but also due to the complexity involved in making them just right.



Judy Patricia

Growing up in a typical Christian household that revels in celebrating family occasions with a table full of baked goodies, it was but natural for Judy to follow in the footsteps of her grandma - an expert at baking. Judy received sound training in the traditional methods of baking and it has held her in good stead so far. She frequently conducts culinary workshops and classes for her friends and neighbours. After pursuing a career in the BPO industry, Judy now keeps busy cooking, baking and participating in school carnivals and selling her goodies. In a smart business move, she has tied up with an event management company and caters for all their events.

Her other talents include being a certified silver medalist in Latin dance and a regular on the cast of musical theatre shows in the city. However, Judy is now fully focused on her 2 year old culinary enterprise aptly labeled ‘Mon Desir’. So far, she has been operating purely on word-of-mouth referrals. With the Showcase, she expects to let discerning dessert lovers of Chennai know of her kitchen talents and up the scale of her business.


Judy affectionately and laughingly narrates how her 4-year-old son helps her in her baking endeavours with mixing, whipping etc – a Junior Masterchef in the making! :-)

The unique dish on her table at the Baker Showcase is called The Queen of Puddings. The others from her repertoire are Chocolate Blueberry Tarts, Caramel Chocolate Cookie Bars, and Orange and Lemon Souffle.

Judy signs off by wishing all her fellow participants good luck and quips, “I want people to know that many other dishes can be baked besides just cake!”


Here's wishing both these lovely ladies the very best for their 1st time at HBG's Baker Showcase!



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