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And there goes another year, just like that, poof! While you couldn’t even tick half the travel destinations on your bucket list, baker and content creator Shivesh Bhatia went to Australia and came back with pictures, stories, ideas, and inspirations that are enough to make anyone drool. Shivesh, who started blogging some eight years ago, is now a sensation across all major social media platforms. His recipes and food styling have found fans across the country. In an exclusive conversation with Slurrp, he spoke candidly about his recent trip, favourite travel destinations, overrated baking trends, and more. Excerpts...
Q. You recently took a trip to Australia. What was your experience like? As a foodie, how would you rate the country?
A. My experience in Australia was memorable to say the least. I had the chance to explore the states of Victoria, and South Australia and I had a great time. Australia is a country of multicultural culinary delights, so it is definitely a foodie’s heaven, in my opinion.
Q. Any Australian dessert that you loved the best?
A. I have been to Australia twice before, but this was the time when I indulged in the spongy and chocolaty Australian lamingtons. I totally loved them. I had heard of them before and I must say, they were totally worth the hype.
Q. From the F&B perspective, which countries do you find the best?
A. From an F&B point of view, Copenhagen is my personal favourite. Their Danish food culture and culinary heritage are fascinating. It leaves you spoilt for choice.
Q. How important is travelling for you as a baker?
A. As a baking content creator, I’m usually studio-bound and shooting in confined spaces. And in such cases, ideas stop flowing readily to you. The world opens up to you when you travel and thus, it’s safe to say that travelling brings out the inspired version of me. Every single time I return from a vacation, I’m beaming with ideas. And that is of utmost importance for me as a content creator.
Q. Your go-to dessert?
A. My go-to dessert has to be rich-fudgy cakes. I love baking them, eating them, and they always bring a smile to my face.
Q. Do you have any kitchen superstitions?
A. Not really, but whenever I use a knife, which is quite often, I think about the one that says you should never gift someone a knife because it represents ‘cutting ties’ with that person. But then, I ponder why would I ever gift someone a knife, putting my contemplation to rest.
Q. A dessert you still find very challenging to make.
A. Macarons are very tricky to make, in my opinion. It requires a fair amount of skill and practice. Nonetheless, they are worth all the effort.
Q. An overrated baking trend.
A. Not just overrated but I totally oppose the trend of making cakes spicy. That for me is like breaking the spirit of baking. Cakes should be left to their sweet charm.
Q. You seem to try a lot of these viral hacks online. Tell us one tip or hack that you actually found effective.
A. The hack that I found extremely interesting would be defrosting an apple to extract some fresh apple juice. Must try for all.
Q. Three tips for budding bakers.
- Set up ingredients before you start
- Always weigh your ingredients
- Try, try, and keep trying! You’ll get to the perfect textures.
