Rising Stars: Meet Niloufer Y. Khatri

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niloufer Y. Khatri.

Hi Niloufer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
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 while she was whipping up Indian delicacies to make artwork for my teachers and I was also that grandkid who got an extra slice of vanilla pound cake from my grandma who used to bake! I think that’s when my fascination for baking began.

I remember the first cake someone made for me with my name piped on it for me. It was a messy, chocolate ganached affair with squiggly hearts and sprinkles and I haven’t tasted anything like it since. I haven’t forgotten how lovely it tasted and most importantly, I never forgot how it made me feel. Special. Worth celebrating. Loved.

Thinking back, I think that experience planted the seed of passion for baked confections and celebration cakes. I have always been a hobby baker. At potlucks, I would be the one with the dessert contribution. Friends would request brownie boxes for their birthdays. It was the support of my family and friends that would fuel my desire to learn about the nuances of baking and cooking. 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. I’ve always wanted to recreate and return the feeling I have when receiving a gift that is hand-crafted with love.

As a mom of two, I would experiment for countless hours to create my kids’ favorite flavors and convert their little colorful drawings into custom cakes. I would find myself grinning when my cakes were loved and devoured to the last crumb. I have baked for years perfecting and experimenting with flavors, both conventional as well as quirky fusion ones from my home country India, European cakes, African cakes, Asian flavors (like pandan), Australian buttercream and Mud cake- you name it and I have experimented with it. Diverse baking trends is a fulfilling hobby.

In 2018, our family underwent some medical challenges which started to take a toll on my well-being. The stress and worry would start to get me very numb. 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. The first cake I sold and the wonderful feedback it received reinforced the belief inside me that this is something I need to do.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Challenges are a part of everyone’s life. I started this having being completely self-taught. Learning to navigate a business that has me working from home has been the biggest challenge for me. I am the sole baker, cake decorator, dish washer, social media manager, inventory manager, email and communications person, accountant and business advisor, etc. along with being mom and wife. Sometimes also the delivery person! With some projects, you have to put in long hours and work after the family is asleep. I have come to learn that challenge translates to growth. I also try and upgrade my skills by taking local and international workshops.

I was fortunate to start slowly and my reputation has grown organically purely via social media and client referrals. The name of my business also shows up when anyone searches for cakes in Austin, and that’s a positive. I established this home bakery in March of 2018 and in 2019, we were hit with the pandemic. That introduced a new set of challenges. Ingredients became scarce and that lead to learning new skills such as modification of signature recipes, use of depression-era cake recipes and still maintaining the premium quality for my bakes. I have learnt a lot with my successes but even more from my failures and they have taught me to take my craft through evolution and improvement to bring the best experience for my clients.

Some other challenges of Covid19 were figuring out new processes for the way cakes are picked up, handling of different caking material as well as procurement of ingredients. The surprising upside of Covid19 was that it was also the year of growth for my business. The pandemic brought families and friends closer and the urge to celebrate the smallest of achievements and milestones became important. And it gave me great honor to be able to do this for those that placed their trust in me.

“I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.” By Maya Angelou describes my life’s journey in a nutshell. To learn means to accept challenges and overcome obstacles.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The Austin Cakery makes customized cake creations for birthdays, celebrations, weddings, etc. I also offer cupcakes, cake pops, cakesickles, sweet charcuterie boards, smash chocolate cakes, cake jars, dessert shooters and customized dessert tables.

Quality is our recipe – this tagline is something I wanted to include because I truly believe in creating a great customized cake for your occasion, using premium quality ingredients.

I specialize in custom cakes. I am known for my Indian fusion flavors as well as my personality cake concept. I carry a wide variety of skill sets and would love for you to go through my Instagram and Facebook pages to see my work. Creating these kinds of personalized cakes is something I love to do. Clients come to me with the birthday boy/girl’s likes like favorite shows, hobbies, achievements, friend profile, music they love, etc… The beauty of such a cake is that it is conceptualized and crafted to include these unique elements of a person’s personality. The recognition of what I am trying to portray is instantaneous for the birthday person and it creates memories that are truly special.

I am proud that this venture of mine enables me to give back to my community. It makes me deeply satisfied and fulfilled. I enjoy communicating with people, hearing their ideas and then working my creativity and skills to get them the cake of their dreams. People put in a great deal of effort and planning for their special occasions and I feel delighted to be a small part of their celebration. It gives me a thrill to see them excited as they pick up their cakes. And of course, getting positive feedback on my work is the final icing on my cake!

What matters most to you?
With this business, I hope to create opportunities for after school education and training programs. It matters to me to support small businesses and I try as far as possible to source my boxes, tags, etc. from small businesses. It matters most when I have someone remembering my craft and coming back in search of my service. It matters to me that I give out a good product. A bride that has $xx to spend will get the same care and quality and attention to detail that a bride who has say $XXX to spend.

It matters to me to put my best efforts into whatever I do in life.

Contact Info:

• Email: theaustincakery@gmail.com, nilobakes@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/COmomA6pyW2/?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theaustincakery/