Sugar and spice, everything nice

From sweet delicacies to savoury delights, 'Honey & Dough' is a melting pot of delectable and scrumptious goodies where the aroma of beans brewing into coffee and the warmth of flour turning into a cake is always ready to welcome you. Honey and Dough was founded by a Chhawchharia couple, Aavika and Utsav in 2017.

Aavika shares, "Utsav and I met during our undergrad days at Hansraj College,University of Delhi. We later went on to pursue our Masters degree from Cass Business School in London and got married in 2015. Before starting Honey & Dough, Utsav was working for import and distribution on petrochemicals and polymers, and I was spearheading a home furnishing business. It was simply our shared love for hearty desserts and the passion for introducing quality International bakes and other cuisines to Delhi, which led us to venture into the F&B sector and open 'Honey & Dough'."

'Honey and Dough' is a family owned enterprise and the name has been chosen by uniting the two ingredients that are basic yet essential to any bakery - honey and dough.

She says, "Utsav and I have always loved travelling around the globe and we have this ongoing quest and appreciation for finding small cafes and bakeries nestled in little nooks and corners of the world. On coming back, we realised that there was a dearth of good confectionaries and coffeehouses in Delhi, especially the ones that would create authentic desserts, breads and other bakes."

They took the matters in our own hands and started Honey & Dough with the vision of making it a one-stop-destination for some authentic international food offerings that are available at a reasonable price making it accessible for everyone to enjoy the taste of some global desserts and savoury picks without having to leave the Delhi.

Sharing about the initial challenges and the impact of pandemic, she shares, "We opened our first cafe in Defence colony market where we entered a highly competence market. Players such as defence bakery who have been established for over 100 years, so we were skeptical about how people would accept a new venture and the second important challenge was to hire the right team from our store managers to our executive chefs.COVID-19 has affected the dine in sales at all cafes but gradually sales are picking up as people are trying to find a new normal and getting back to their routines. Our prime focus remains on carrying all our operations and production with full precautions and maintaining optimum safety and hygiene standards. There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of our patrons."

They reiterate their quest to create a warm and inviting ambience at 'Honey & Dough' where everyone is welcome to try our wide array of sweet and savoury products. "We focus on making it a destination where there is something for everyone and everything is under one roof – desserts, savoury dishes, gifting hampers, and anything else one can imagine or wish for. Also, what forms the core of the brand and sets us apart is that we never compromise on the quality of our offerings and always strive to present authentic flavours, yet providing a reasonable price on our products to our patrons," concludes Aavika.