At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Shalu Sharma for an exclusive interview with us. Shalu is a Home Baker, Cook and Influencer. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, background, and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Shalu:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
I have had my own journey of learning my way and I believe that the lessons that my failures taught me made me stronger to celebrate the successes that followed.
I strongly believe that everything you learn in this journey contributes to your growth. Failure and success both are the faces of the same coin. You should know your merit and after failure is what you have to find your value.
“Every woman has a latent power within her….get In touch with it… bring it to the forefront….And you’ll be unstoppable”
How did you discover your passion?
Passion is an amazing thing. It can move people to do wonders. I have always loved hosting and entertaining at home that has always been appreciated by my friends and family.
Having hosted and cherished some treasured memories over sumptuous food with my family and friends, I decided to open my doors for patrons to indulge in a first of its kind baking experience.
My passion for baking made me start a home baking studio at my place That’s how I named my studio Ecstasy.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
The curiosity to learn and enhance my culinary skill was a motivation which kept me going despite the challenges. I received the necessary support and encouragement from my better half. The beginning of the journey was purely inquisitive but now it’s my passion what keeps me going.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My biggest source of motivation is my Better Half Mr. Parav Sharma who has always motivated me from day one. He is my biggest strength.
My sisters Smily Aggarwal and Falguni Kathuria Khosla who have always encouraged me to do better and of course my closest friends Deepshikha Pargal and Gurleen Chhatwal who have been right there next to me like true companions and left no stone unturned in motivating me.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
> To find your calling, you have to constantly be active.
> If I wake up in the morning and see myself in the mirror then good for me. I don’t listen to anybody else.
> If you lose yourself, you won nothing
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
– Have a positive attitude towards everything that comes your way.
– Keep it you, Uniquely you. Let the world know your worth.
What advice would you give to our readers?
One must be truly immersed in knowing food inside out to thrive in this field of baking. To cook with passion and watch your patrons savour every morsel of it is a feeling that cannot be mentioned in words.
It’s an out of the world feeling. You need to have a passion for food to dive deeper into knowing the ingredients and their innate flavours. To the young aspirants trying to contribute to the culinary sphere, I would advise – don’t give up.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
Home baking is a developing idea in India’s culinary scene. My biggest joy in baking passionately is to see people bond over food and be happy. In this ever expanding city of dreams, it is the love of baking that makes the community stand out.
The feedbacks I got from my clients, my friends and family who have also been inspired by my social media content, amp up my energy to deliver my value to them .
I was in the second position in the cooking contest which was recognised by Chef Gary Mehigan in Chandigarh. Getting conferred recognition for the work I do makes my work satisfying. I also, won many baking contests organised by Chandigarh News and also by Ms. NITA Mehta Celebrity Chef.
It is less about the recognition and more because it serves as a reminder from the Universe that I am on the right path.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
