Hyderabad: Youth using social media to sell their baked recipes

In this pandemic time, most of the young chefs in the city have made their dream come true by delivering their home-made food across the city.

Many dreamed to become a chef and to have their chain of restaurant or café, but not everyone can be a part, but during the lockdown their skills and knowledge of making different types of food have made a way using the social media to start their own small food businesses.

One can observe that there are several such young chefs including male and female are taking the social media to deliver their mouth-watering bake foods including burgers, donuts, pizza, choco chips brownie, chocolate truffle cake, and Arabian desserts like kunafa, baklava and several other to deliver it across the city. The home chefs did not stop preparing dishes they continued even after the lockdown and satisfied their customers by delivering the food.

Nida Subohie, a young chef running a page 'Bake n Flake by Nida' on Instagram said that she is fond of baking and had a dream to have a chain of restaurants, and finally she has started baking during lockdown and delivering to the customers. "Just like many others I have started my baking line during lockdown. The reason I have started was my love for baking and my dream of having my own chain of restaurant or Café. Lockdown made a part of my dream possible and have delivered my baking to hundreds of customers."

She said she is fond of preparing baked food items and tried several baking dishes and finally she have her own menu card which includes choco-chips brownie, donuts, cheese pizza, veg pizza, chicken-65 pizza, chocolate truffle cake, different types of cakes like chocolate overload cake, kitkat cake etc. "During that time I was very much inspired by fellow home bakers including @cakehousebyzoha and @bakecasa. Most of my recipes are from what I was taught in my college and some from @bakecasa where I have attended a master class," added Nida.

"The customers also order cakes for birthdays, anniversaries, and other functions. The orders will be taken 24 hours prior to the delivery."

Insha Ali Khan, a foodie who usually ordered at 'Bake n' Flake by Nida' said "Cookies of Bake n Flake was so pro and donuts were yumm and brownies were veryy chocolattttyyy aur than pizzzaa, so cheesy." In young age she is doing great."

Similarly, there are several such home chefs who are delivering their food to the customers including deliciously whipped by Afifa Nazneen, cake house by zoha, bakecasa, Top.tier.treats, cake n jars, cakes n desserts, cakes and bakes Hyderabad, Hyderabadi cake and many more. Not even the baked food, but the people have also started delivering home-made Hyderabadi biryani, haleem, and other Moghalai dishes.

One such page SB home-made Haleem the chef Syed Faizan said "I have started delivering the Moghalai food and Haleem for around 3 years and have been delivering these dishes across the city. Recently, I have also started preparing kebabs and desserts like mango rabdi and Hyderabad's famous double ka meetha," he added.

In this small food business, the boys are also in charge of making Arabian desserts like Baklava, Kunafa, Basbousa and delivering to the Hyderabadis. "Turkish Desserts are eaten and baked with love in Arab countries, now have been seen in the city too. With varieties of dishes such as Baklava, Kunafa, Basbousa, Luqaimat and many more. Where do these desserts come from? These dishes are raised from Egypt, Palestine, middle-east countries, and I have been preparing and delivering it to the Hyderabadi customers and have thousands of followers on page who usually order the desserts," said Saud Bin Nasar Alkhulaqi, an Arab boy who is serving these sweets online.

Home chefs operating small businesses in Hyderabad expressed resistance to the digitization of the space. "People buying from home chefs aren't looking for a third party delivering App. They like the WhatsApp and Instagram interaction and close community," said Afifa Nazneen of deliciouslywhipped.

Her customers like discussing their pastries and cakes orders directly with her with a time prior delivery. Many of them don't need apps with high commissions to promote their businesses, as word-of-mouth and social media have been more than enough.