Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Niloufer Khatri . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Niloufer, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

In 2015, We moved to Austin, Tx from Omaha , NE.My family faced some sudden medical challenges. It started to take a toll on my well-being. The stress and worry would start to get me very numb. To distract me, a friend insisted I bake her daughter a birthday cake. Working on that cake and the creative freedom she gave me calmed the turmoil inside. I was surprised at how therapeutic it was. I felt calm, present and meditative. And that’s the pushing reason ‘The Austin Cakery’ was born in 2018. The first cake I sold and the wonderful feedback it received encouraged me. I haven’t looked back since.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Hi! I’m Niloufer. I’m a third culture kid, drawing my personality from different places, my experiences from diverse people, my idioms from several languages and my worldview from one exciting journey that’s spanned two continents, three countries and almost four decades!

My love affair with baking started very young with my own soft spot for baked goods inspired by my grandma, and has now become a ‘flour’ishing business, pardon the pun. An unexpected career seeing as how I graduated with a degree in computer science and statistics, but one that is immensely satisfying and fun. It challenges me creatively, making me look forward to each new work day- a professional dream. I believe that my confections reflect the various parts of my personality and allow me to explore others that are only revealing themselves now.

I have always been creative even as a child. I was that kid who would stop to collect dried leaves and sneak them home between pages of whatever book I was reading at that time and use those to make cards for friends. I would swipe black pepper corns, anise stars, cinnamon sticks from my mom’s kitchen counter whilst she was whipping up Indian delicacies to make artwork for my teachers and I was also that grand child who got an extra slice of vanilla pound cake from my grandma who used to bake and who inspired me to bake endlessly when I was a teenager !

A full time mom of two, baking competes with my other passions for the top slot. I’m also a part-time teacher, a Harry Potter enthusiast, a tech junkie, a foodie, a sci-fi fan and an avid reader. I’ve been told by friends that I have a quirky sense of humor and an easy personality. As a mom of two, I would experiment for countless hours to create my kids’ favorite flavors and convert their little colorful drawings into cakes for their birthdays.

When you find the love of your life , people are often fond of asking , “Where did you two first meet?”. The first cake ever made for me was a messy, chocolatey, ganached affair with my name scribbled across the top. It was love at first bite. It made me feel so special. Worth celebrating. Loved. I think that experience planted the seed of passion for baked confections and celebration cakes. While my education has been in computer science, my heart was not quite in pursuing a career in that field. My passion was in education and working with people. As a hobby baker, I have baked many many cakes for friends and family. I have conducted many Sunday school workshops for kids as well. I’ve always wanted to recreate and return the feeling I have had when receiving a gift that is hand-crafted with love.

Here at The Austin Cakery, I believe in providing you a cake that is not only an artistic show piece and a conversation starter but also a flavorsome and delish treat. Our clients have come to believe this about us too. I welcome you to come and experience a slice of us for a visual and gustatory treat!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Attention to Detail: The cakes I make are curated and crafted to be the centerpiece of my clients events. I aim to help my clients create wonderful and beautiful memories for their celebrations. If it means a lot to them to have elements such as a small figure or representation hand crafted with fondant or modeling paste on their cake, then I make sure that they have the best version I can create for them on their custom cake. When creating a cake, I research all aspects of their theme choice and often times I love coming up with creative elements that excite them. It’s most gratifying when they come back and tell me that their cake was better than they imagined or nicer than their inspiration boards.

Quality and taste:

I am extremely meticulous about only using the best ingredients. I am always on the hunt for new fair trade goods and locally sourced quality ingredients when time permits. I am forever filling notebooks and friendly bellies with my test recipes. My coffee mocha cake has it’s own fan following.

Flavors:

I offer many Indian fusion flavors, American and European classic flavors. I don’t shy away from new flavor requests. I recently had a pandan flavored cake request. My search for pandan leaves took me to Lamar Blvd and left me dancing at the local Asian store when I found it in their frozen section. I have tried making an Ube flavored cake – matcha etc. I love experimenting in my kitchen and spending hours pairing flavors, curds, fillings….

Customer service :

This is a priority. When you come to me , you will get a fabulous cake from me for your occasion or a recommendation to where you can find another baker to make their cake. This brings me to my fourth point-

Community over competition:

When I first started out, I used to be, at times, taken aback by fierce gatekeeping that can exist in the baking community. I guess this can be true of many professions. While it is my passion to bake and cake , it was not going to be gratifying unless I could network and share my challenges and knowledge with others. The best people to share your passion with is those who have the same kind of passion ! Each creative /artist I have had the pleasure to connect with locally or on Instagram and Facebook is unique and a master at their niche of craft and it is gratifying and humbling to receive help when needed and to offer support and help when asked of me.

As a one woman show – from being the accountant ,shopper , baker, decorator , researcher, innovator, creator , dishwasher , delivery woman whilst juggling motherhood, marriage, school runs , local community events etc.. I may not have the availability to accommodate everyone who comes my way. I always offer a list of other bakers in my community who might be able to help my client out at such times. My clients really appreciate this and I consider this a good practice in business.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. My clientele grew organically mostly from word of mouth esp from people who have had my confections at parties and weddings. Building an online presence on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook have also been pivotal to the growth of my home bakery. The pandemic was a crucial growth point as it bought families and friends closer and the need to celebrate the smallest of achievements became important.

People who are shopping for a bespoke luxury cake eat first with their eyes , so posting my work frequently has helped potential clients see the kind of edible art I can create. I have not been big on advertising or marketing mostly because of lack of time but I am starting to learn more about effective marketing as well.

I enjoy communicating with people, hearing their ideas and then working my creativity and milking my skill set to make them the cake of their dreams, a cake that is uniquely ‘them’ at times even. It gives me great pleasure to see them excited as they pickup their cakes and of course, getting positive or raving reviews on my work is the final icing on the cake!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaustincakery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theaustincakery

Image Credits
Asma Vohra