The long drive from South Goa to Assagao to meet my favourite pastry chef, Namrata Pai, is filled with memories.
Memories of a little girl who was a bundle of good hearted mischief.
A young lady who decided to do a course in hotel management and then tried her hand at sales with the Welcomgroup.
But then, creative cooking was always her calling.
A course at the fabled Cordon Bleu in London, very useful stints at Bombay Canteen and the tony Table in Mumbai, and then suddenly, independence and Goa beckoned.
Namu, as we like to call her, landed up in Goa eight years ago and began building her cafe called Handmade Gourmet Desserts and Bakeshop, her repertoire and her reputation.
All three seem to have grown rather well. A quick meeting with her revealed that she had a rather extensive menu of sweet temptations that had endeared her to retail clients as well as many restaurants who were regular clients of hers.
She is happy to state that the regular stand-alone clients constitute over 60% of her business which speaks volumes for the repeat customers she has garnered.
She's come a long way from just catering to the weekly market where she used to hang out at.
Apart from the cheesecakes which she was always famous for, even in Mumbai, the chocolate cakes are evidently a big draw. But what really takes the cake (sorry for the bad pun, I couldn't resist it) is the Pasteis de Nata or Portugese Custard Tarts which literally fly off the shelves.
As someone who has always had 32 sweet teeth, this Bakshouse with its amazing range of sweet offerings, and a Pastry Chef whose smile literally lights up the room, is sweet paradise.
