Mangaluru: When one wishes to say that something is easy, the first phrase that comes to mind is, “It’s a cake walk.” Baking a cake, however, and making them look like monumental works of art is no ‘cake walk’.
Meet Fameeda Althaf, chef and proprietor of the Mangaluru-based Tasty Bite Culinary Studio. The 36-year-old mother of three, through her culinary studio, does everything from baking cakes for events to teaching women and children how to bake and cook. She even gives classes on how to make yummy ice creams!
Women of all ages, some even as old as 70 years of age, come to Fameeda for baking and cooking classes from different places. “Apart from Mangaluru, some of my students have come from Kerala, Bengaluru and even from Mumbai. They come here, do a course and then go back,” she explained. Some of those who studied under Fameeda have even gone on to start their own home-based baking businesses.
Through her culinary studio, she also provides certificate courses in baking and cooking and they are a major hit with her students. The courses range from 10 days to a month depending on the level of skill being taught. The 10-day courses are basic, the 15 courses are a little more advanced and involve decorations (cakes) and the one month courses involve more skills like making whipping cream or butter cream frosting, fondant flowers etc.
She primarily teaches women, girls and boys. For the women, she takes up classes on a regular basis and for kids only during the summer vacation and Christmas holidays.
Fameeda did a course in cooking Indian and international cuisines from WGSHA (Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration) in Manipal. After her marriage to Mohmmed Althaf Alwaye, a contractor in the construction business, she moved to Mumbai and it was here that she took up several courses including baking and even fashion designing.
After returning to Mangaluru, Fameeda, encouraged by her old college principal, started her own baking business and six years ago, started the Tasty Bite Culinary Studio.
“I wasn’t doing much before I took up baking as a profession. I have three sons, Abdul Hadi (17), Abdul Waseem (15) and Abdul Malik (8). I used to just bake birthday cakes or make small treats for them. When I came back to Mangaluru, my principal suggested that I start a shop and so, that is what I did,” she explained.
Now, six years later, Fameeda is doing well and is grateful for her husband, who is her greatest supporter as he helps her a lot with the culinary studio.
From Fameeda’s creations, you can tell that her course in fashion designing has some influence on her work. She is also the first baker in Mangaluru to make a chandelier cake and her brilliant artistry is why many come to her with extravagant bake orders.
