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Goa’s Funkiest Cakes

Edible art at Socorro

Think cake and all that you can imagine are humans transforming into beasts tearing through rich, creamy Dutch truffle.Got a birthday in the family? Want to apologize for forgetting an anniversary? Or are you simply in a romantic mood and want your gift to be special and unique? Move over handmade cards, emotionally loaded bookmarks and pictures printed on mugs and pillows. Instead, try sending out a whacky personalized message through a delicately baked designer cake from Bumblebee Bakes.

This fun and whimsical logo represents the amusing approach the Kaimal siblings have taken to baking. “Food is a huge part of who we are. We’ve grown up basically looking for any reason to celebrate. And celebrations inevitably mean insane amounts of food,” says Adrian Kaimal.

Bumblebee, the brainchild of Adrian and Alison, based in Socorro, may not be as popular as the leading patisserie joints in town but this young enterprise which is a few months old is making steady progress. They don’t own an outlet yet and operate from home which gives them a level of comfort.“We’ve got the whole family to back us up if we’re ever in a tight spot. Earlier, we planned on starting slow and opening an outlet, but that was before we started our Facebook page,” Adrian explains.

“Ever since the online hype, there seems to be no point in an outlet because right now we’re actually having trouble keeping up with the orders.” The word of mouth publicity has helped their fortunes but Adrian stresses that rather than the number of customers they can attract, it is customer satisfaction that they strive for.

“The early days were scary and uncertain,” reveals Alison, his younger sister and co-visionary. “We had no idea whether this was going to pan out at all. We worry that all the orders will suddenly dry up. But the best part about the early days was the support we got from people who we didn’t even realize were rooting for us to succeed.”

Alison informs that most of their designs are up on their Facebook page and they are eagerly waiting for a new challenge. “We’ve done sweet designs for young people in love, risqué wedding night scenes for bachelorette parties, cupcake tower wedding cakes. I guess we’re pretty much willing to do anything fun and out of the ordinary.”

With leading franchises having spun their web all over the state, 28-year-old Adrian isn’t too worried about selling his fresh new idea in the competitive world. “The most common misconception is that our kinds of cakes are only for the rich and pretentious metropolitan dwellers. But the fact is we’re not looking to build any kind of an empire or run the old brand shops out of business.”

The former lawyer may be respectful of his business competitors, but he isn’t afraid to define his USP. “We just happen to do things that others don’t. Our flavours are exotic and our cakes have an incredible level of detail. Most importantly, every single piece of decoration or art is completely edible. We couldn’t achieve this if we were trying to compete with anyone based on volumes. So as opposed to trying to do 30 or 40 cakes a week, we’re happy doing just eight or nine cakes a week,andtheyare actually something special.”

Alison claims that Goans have warmed to the idea of their cakes because with just a few details about the person they love, people can get a cake that is absolutely unique to make anyone’s day special. “It is not something that you can get from some run-of- the-mill cake that everyone has seen and tasted already. As a matter of fact, lots of our designs are ideas conceptualized by our clients. They come to us with hand-drawn sketches, with very specific descriptions, even with a bunch of pictures that they want combined into one cake.”

The siblings have learned most of their skills on the fly through nothing but trial and error. Bumblebee Bakes has a firm policy on quality and offers no compromise on the ingredients they use, even if it eats into their profits.

The story of Bumblebee is all the more special because Adrian and Alison gave up their professions to pursue their passion. “Honestly in terms of job satisfaction, our previous careers don’t hold a candle to this. My sister was with an investment bank for over three years and I was a terrible lawyer, and at the end of the day, neither of us had much to be thrilled about,” Adrian admits with all sincerity,

 “Now with Bumblebee, it’s different. You can work till three in the morning and still wake up in three hours and continue working. I guess it’s true what they say, when you find a job you love, you never ‘work’ a day in your life!” he exclaims.

Call Bumblebee Bakes at: 9890472737 or 9766780868 or email them at bumblebeebakes@mail.com. The easiest way to get in touch with them is through a message on their Facebook page:facebook.com/bumblebee.bakes.goa

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