Pooja Dhingra is one name in the world of baking, who has consistently broken barriers. She isn’t just another baker with A-list celebrities on her clientele, but is a successful entrepreneur, author, podcast host and YouTube star . The pastry chef who started Le15 Patisserie in 2010 with a dream to bring savoir-faire of French pâtisserie to India, has now successfully made it into an umbrella brand that spans patisserie outlets, retail line of products and merchandises, podcasts, cookbooks and lot more. She’s rightly called the ‘macaron queen of India’ but that’s not all. She has also been featured on Forbes India’s list of 30 under 30 achievers.
With an admirable list of achievements, it is common for anyone to feel intimidated from a personality like that. But the moment you meet Pooja you are in the company of a warm, humble, positive and modest woman, up for more challenges. We caught up with her in Delhi while she was on a multi-city tour for her latest book release ‘Coming Home’- which adds another feather to her cap.
Coming Home marks Pooja’s most personal and ambitious project. It is the result of all those moments of joy that she experienced in the toughest year, when she had to shut down Le15 Café amid the uncertainties of the pandemic. It was then, when she turned to baking in her home kitchen and found happiness in creating simplest of recipes. It’s a book that shares her lockdown stories, new recipes and more so inspires and helps people make food that brings a sense of feeling at home.
Here's our tête-à-tête with Pooja Dhingra, discussing her journey from Le Cordon Blue up till now, her inspiration, fondest memories and more.
1. So you started to bake at a very early age, what or who inspired you towards it?
My aunt (my bua) was my first inspiration to start baking. When I was six I baked with her, and then it was with my mom, who had a small chocolate business at home. So I would help her with all little things. And yeah, it comes from the family since we are a family of foodies, who are obsessed with food. And we love desserts and I love chocolates.
2. Starting from Le Cordon Bleu up till here, you've had a diverse experience. What is the one learning you've had on the way that has stayed with you?
Honestly, there are different journeys. One is my journey as a chef and one is an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur I feel I started at 23, I was naïve and young but I feel every failure made me stronger as long as I was ready to learn. I think that made me a stronger, better person today. As a chef, I feel it is exciting for me to do specific things that keep challenging me and doing different things. So this journey from pastry to doing packaged things has been quite a learning-unlearning journey as it’s a completely different ballgame. So, the main thing that I’ve learnt over the past 12 years of my career, is to never stop learning
3. After finishing your training in Paris, as a fairly young woman you could've been safe and worked with any reputed hotel, what exactly inspired you to take a huge risk of opening a macaron store in Mumbai all by yourself?
I just feel that there wasn’t as much opportunities back then. When I came back 13 years ago, other than a five-star hotel, which is also very tough to get into as an outsider in the sense that most of them have their own system and schools where they hire from. So it wasn't like there were jobs lined up for me, there were not many standalone pastry shops. So I was like okay if it doesn’t exist, maybe I have to create it. Today you have much more opportunities so many bakeries and pastry shops doing amazing work.
4. From being inspired by who is known as the 'Picasso Of Pastry' to having your cookbook's foreword written by him, how do you feel about none other than Pierre Hermé writing the foreword for Coming Home?
It is unreal. It was the best birthday gift I’ve ever received in my life. I just feel that life came full circle for me. I don’t think Le15 would’ve existed in this shape or form if it hadn’t for him. From having met him to him writing such a touching foreword for me, I’m extremely grateful.
5. Amid the pandemic, you had to shut the much-loved Le15 Café in Colaba. What has been your fondest memory of the place?
Oh there are so many! You know in fact, weeks before I announced I was going to shut the café, sI felt very isolating and alone to come to this decision thinking about how much I love the place. And the minute I announced it I got thousands and thousands of messages and letters and people writing-in about how the café was so important to them. I didn’t even realise that something that I created was so special to so many people. I think to me that was the most touching part.
6. Who is the one celebrity you’ve worked with who likes to experiment the most with food?
It has to be Sonam. A lot of Le15’s menu items early on used to be just Sonam saying she has a craving and she wants me to bake something unique. And I would love doing that and she’s been such a really good friend and support for the brand.
7. So any of the macarons that Sonam absolutely loves?
The hazelnut one is her favourite.
8. You are someone who people look up to as a successful women entrepreneur too besides a baker, what has been your secret to acing it both since so many years?
I’ve always been both at the same time. Earlier I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and I saw that there was only that much I can do if I’m doing things alone. So I learned that as an entrepreneur I need to also know how to delegate, how to hire the right person, to make sure I have a proper vision for the business. So the balance comes from understanding what the goals are and aligning everybody to it, which has been hard but we’re getting there.
9. One mistake through the baking years you made that you are thankful for.
Very early on, I had just come back from France and a lot of people were asking me for eggless recipes and it used to make me very angry, but that was really challenging. Making all those mistakes while experimenting to get that recipe right have turned out to be products that I’m really proud of. My Eggless chocolate cake on the menu, was definitely a mistake! That’s why I tell the kitchen to make as many mistakes.
10. So coming back to the book, Coming Home is your most special cookbook. Which are your most favourite recipes from it?
My Nani’s Gajar Ka Halwa, which I've kept exactly the way she cooked is very special to me. She’s not with us anymore and this recipe keeps her memory alive.
11. How is this book different from your past books?
It’ a very personal book, the recipes are more about my journey as chef, as an entrepreneur and where I’m today. It’s me on a plate!
10. If you had to give three tips to young women trying to make it as an entrepreneur, what would they be?
Don’t let anybody define what you can or cannot achieve, because it’s very easy to be dismissive about a young girl. I've been there.so I know that. Secondly, don’t be afraid. Fear is normal and I still get afraid time to time but the idea is to find a place to overcome that fear. Third would be to have really good support system. Whether it’s your family or your friends, to have people who have your back because it’s a very lonely journey and it is important to know that you are not alone.
11. Macaron queen, successful entrepreneur, cookbook author, podcast, YouTube channel, what's next now?
So much! I want to do so much. I would want to write more books, scale Le15 in different cities and so much to do. I’ve not yet scratched even a fraction of it and would like to do more of it.