Two years ago, an eight-year-old Vinusha MK wanted to surprise her mother on her birthday. She had the perfect idea in her head — bake her mother's birthday cake. That was when she donned on a chef's hat and started whipping together some flour, sugar and butter, hoping to bake the most delicious cake ever, with the help of a friend. But all didn't go well. Even though the cake tasted good, it was not of the consistency that she had expected. Her father tells us how, on that day, Vinusha even decided to never bake again.
But Vinusha eventually decided to give it another shot. Turns out, the second time was the charm. This cake was perfect. There was no looking back after that. Two years down the line, this ten-year-old from Chennai is a pastry chef, who runs her very own baking brand — Four Seasons Pastry — that she started in September 2019. Even though she is a home baker now, this fifth-grader who studies Amrita Vidyalayam, Chennai hopes to open her own bakery outlet soon. "I named it Four Seasons Pastry based on the four major seasons — summer, winter, autumn and spring. I started out by baking two different flavoured cupcakes — vanilla and chocolate. But it's the icing on these that represent the different seasons," she says. Apart from cupcakes, she also makes chocolates and sandwiches. Vinusha has also put together a baking kit for young children like her, who are keen on baking.
"My parents were extremely supportive when they got to know that I like to bake. They enrolled me in a few baking workshops and helped me interact with a few entrepreneurs to help me take my dream further. Also, before starting my own venture, I had interned at a five-star hotel in Chennai and a few cafés to learn more about baking," she says. Apart from baking cupacakes, she also makes chocolates and sandwiches. Vinusha says that she sets aside time for baking after school, every day. Even at ten, Vinusha is quite sure about what she wants to do a few years down the line. No guesses there, she obviously wants to go to culinary school and become a professional chef.
Now Vinusha wears a couple of other hats too. A motivational speaker, she has already delivered talks in a few colleges in Tamil Nadu. At the same time, she also conducts baking classes online quite often and a teacher's role is something that she truly enjoys. "Most of my students are children as young as I am. Sometimes, they are surprised to see that I am their teacher," she says. Recently, she joined hands with the crowdfunding platform Milaap to conduct a fundraiser baking class. "All the proceeds went towards helping the street vendors of Chennai who lost their jobs owing to the COVID pandemic and the lockdown. The turnout here wasn't as big as what I thought it would be, but I am happy that I could do my bit," she says.
