The series 'Beyond Beauty' delves into the pervasive impact of beauty on every facet of our lives, emphasizing its role as a celebration of individuality and a medium for self-expression. Beauty is a dialogue everyone engages in—both internally and with others—and we're delving into that by examining individuals' personal encounters with it.
Pastry chef, businesswoman and reality show judge; baker’s hats aren’t the only ones Pooja Dhingra is sporting on the daily. Starting out by baking brownies with her aunt at 6, the little Pooja, now the owner of bakery chain Le15 Patisserie, found inspiration in the classroom. She took her passion for baking to newer heights and wanted to become a pastry chef while studying Hospitality at César Ritz Colleges Switzerland. The pastry kitchen whispered sweet nothings to her, and she went on to get her Diploma in Patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. But being a baking nerd isn’t the only thing that’s her forte, the force behind India’s first macaron shop revealed, “For me, a beautiful dessert doesn’t necessarily have to be elaborate and fancy - but simplicity, balance and attention to detail are important when plating desserts!”
A pastry chef has to have an eye for detail and beauty, sure. But how prominent is the perception of beauty in a pastry chef’s work? Over a quick tête-à-tête with Pooja, we tried to understand what kind of ideas brew in her head before they reach the drawing board and piping cones and here’s what we found out!
Tira: Can you share any examples of current concepts of beauty that have influenced your work?
Pooja: So, a few years ago, we made desserts inspired by Cannes red carpet looks - there was a gorgeous lemon-yellow dress that reminded me of lemon eclairs, Aishwarya Rai’s red and a white striped dress which reminded me of candy cane eclairs and meringues. Recently we also tried out cupcakes that were inspired by Alia Bhatt’s saree in Rocky Aur Raani.
Tira: How do you balance your personal aesthetic with the trends that seem too often to be the expectations of your clients/social media?
Pooja: While it’s good to keep up with the trends and what your audience may want to see, I also think it’s important to be true to yourself and not fall prey to all trends. We all have our unique voice and personality - and it's important that that comes out in our work. I like to focus on elegance, simplicity, and a touch of nostalgia. If something is trending, I like to choose elements of it that I can align and incorporate into my work.
Tira: If you could create a dessert inspired by a beauty product or trend, what would it be and why?
Pooja: I think I’d like to create something with scents/perfumes - borrowing from scents of vanilla, jasmine or rose!
Tira: Are there any real-life visual cues that you like to use to conceptualize the design or colours to your dessert menu?
Pooja: I think it really depends on what’s going on. If the festive season is near, I like to take inspiration from visual cues of culture and tradition. Sometimes it could be colours or design that bring back a memory, or something I happened to see and relate to.
Tira: As a pastry chef, do you ever draw inspiration from colour trends in the beauty world? We're talking palettes, viral blushes or classic lipstick shades - a Ruby Red Velvet cupcake maybe?
Pooja: Yes, for sure! As I mentioned earlier we made various desserts inspired by Cannes red carpet looks. A Ruby Red Velvet Cupcake sounds great - I can just imagine it - the deep, vibrant lipstick colour as the colour of the sponge!
Tira: How do you approach balance in the artistic presentation of your pastries, considering both aesthetics and taste?
Pooja: In culinary school, we were always told that one ‘eats with their eyes first’! I don’t like to have too much of a crowd on a plate, and the colours should complement each other. Having said that, I also feel like it's very important to balance aesthetics with taste. I like my desserts to have an element of simplicity but also elevated. At the end of the day, the dessert should hit the spot.
For Pooja, beauty lies in the magic of a few simple ingredients coming together to create something so delicious. “For me, self-care takes many forms! It could just be catching up with my friends and family, meditating, working out, or doing yoga,” she concludes with her personal mantra for wellness.
