Lockdown proves to be blessing in disguise for baker Simran

Manmeet Singh Gill

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 15

In January this year, 23-year-old Simran Arora had started marketing her home baked products with the help of a social media account and spreading the word publicly. But things went haywire for Simran, a trained baker from the Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts (APCA), Bengaluru, when the government announced the nationwide lockdown in March.

However, the early days were tough to deal with, but soon she realised that the curse was a blessing in disguise. “I did not get any orders early on but soon realized that people have more faith in home baked products than in commercial bakeries with dozens of workers,” said Simran, a resident of the Green Avenue.

She added that her business is growing with each passing day. “My clients are mostly people who know me or are friends of friends. The orders are growing everyday and I cannot say my business has been hit due to the lockdown or restricted movement,” said the baker, who markets her products through an instagram account (storyofachubbygirl).

A journalism graduate from the BBK DAV College, she had started baking as a hobby. “I would bake products for my family and friends. And everyone suggested that I should do it professionally. But I wanted to learn before going professional,” she said.

Simran is also following all the precautions that are a must amid the pandemic. “The food business is not about taste alone. It is also about trust,” she says, before adding: “If I have been getting orders it is because people believed that it is healthy and hygienic. So I take extra care of cleanliness and sanitisation.”

The young baker, who feels the cooking is more of hobby than profession for her, is a food lover herself and loves to showcase her cooking skills and feed people.