Check Out Meghna Chaudhary’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghna Chaudhary.

Hi Meghna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, You can call me Meg. I have lived on two continents, visited more than 15 cities, and speak three languages fluently. There are three essential parts of my life that significantly impacted my chef/baker life.

The first part of my life started in Chandausi, a small town in Northern India, where I was born and raised. It is famous for its temples, architecture, brass statues, and delicious foods. The street food and sweets that I grew up eating have a strong imprint on my mind and soul. I was intrigued by the crunchiness of nut praline, the melt-in-mouth cottage cheese curries, and the aroma of clarified butter(Ghee). I tried to make a more delicious version of everything I was fascinated by, from Samosa to Curries and learned a lot if something didn’t turn out as expected. The experiments taught me that Kitchen is just an extended version of a Chemistry Lab where chemical reactions among ingredients produce a flavorful outcome. Science and Math were always my fav subjects, along with paintings and sketching as hobby. My hometown’s nuances of paintings and architecture influenced my artwork, bringing many accolades and trophies.

The second part of my life was more techie. I studied Engineering and worked with some of the best technology firms. I learned how to use frameworks and mechanisms to solve complex problems. Although there has been a shift of focus after all these years, and my profession is not an engineer anymore, everything that I did in life laid the bridge and steered me in the direction where I am today. For instance, My tiered cakes follow all the “center of gravity” concepts and use structures/trusses for a strong foundation.

The third part comes from living in the states for almost ten years. I truly soaked in diverse cultures and cuisines and tasted unique, authentic flavors or fusions that captivate you. One prime example is Tex-Mex food in Austin; I can’t get over “breakfast Tacos” and “Tex-Mex Fajitas”. My cakes imbibe this fusion. “Rasmalai cake” is very modern outside with a burst of authentic Indian flavors inside.

These parts helped me become the chef/baker/cake artist that I am today. Taking the passion forward, my spouse & I decided to open something of our own. In 2021, right amid COVID, we started our food truck in Spicewood named “Spice Chemistry,” serving authentic Indian delights like samosas, Biryanis, and Curries. During this time, I also baked cakes for my four-year-old son – Neil (he loves them). I posted a few pictures of the cakes and soon got inundated with requests from every corner – Thank you, Social Media. With so much positive response for cakes and labor issues with Food Truck, we decided to close the food truck and focus just on CAKES. This is how it all started.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting something new and diverting from the already laid path is never easy. The biggest challenge, to begin with, was leaving behind a big fat salary. The handsome amount we get in the tech industry for every hour of our time makes it harder to think about anything else. I took a leap of faith and decided to move forward with our food truck and not go back to work.

The food business requires a constant effort of the same degree repeatedly. We started our food truck amidst covid, so getting workers was not easy at that time. Moreover, most businesses had trouble finding labor in our part of the city. I worked day and night more than what I was doing in Tech. On top of it, My son was with us in the burning food truck the whole time as we didn’t have the babysitter kudos to COVID. My spouse worked full-time in Tech, and we three spent more than 100 hours running our first venture every week.

Besides, Indian Cuisine is one of the toughest cuisines in the world. Every dish that we served had a different and time-intensive process. The Parathas (Indian Bread) were hard to make and required hand-rolling of wheat dough. My wrists went numb several times, resulting in sleepless nights. Later, I found that the symptoms relate to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which can lead to permanent hand dysfunction.

Even after all this, we persisted and ran the food business for six months. We were unable to acquire any help during this time. Finally, we decided to close the food truck as it was not sustainable for us and get on with the baking.

As a cake baker, I get a chance to be creative with designing along with creating unique taste and flavor. I am still learning and trying to improve upon how to maintain a balance between work and family life as creating something of your own demands everything you can give to it. It gets so busy that I still don’t sleep sometimes on weekends to finish cake designs but glad to be doing something that truly represents me.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a chef, baker, and cake artist who loves to create flavors with Indian and tropical twists. SpiceChemistry is your stop; when you’re looking for a cake with premium ingredients, exceptional taste, and gorgeous looks. It is not just the cake, it’s an experience and memory that one will carry throughout their life, and I always strive to sweeten it through my cakes.

We specialize in Tropical cake flavors inspired by South Asia and Europe. Our fan-favorite is “Rasmalai Cake, ” a fusion cake that merges authentic Indian Sweet – Rasmalai, made of cottage cheese and saffron, with the sophistication of cake. It has the perfect amount of moisture, sweetness, aeration, and flavor that will melt in your mouth. Every single crumb of the cake is made with perfection. We have 12 mouthwatering flavors, including Mango & Cream, Pineapple, Coconut, butterscotch, and classical favorites like vanilla, chocolate, and carrot. Other than cakes, we also do cupcakes, cookies, pastries and macarons.

What sets our cakes apart is the divine taste with modern beauty. I can proudly say that “there are two types of people, those who love our cakes and those who have never tried them!”.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I had a very simple upbringing but what made it special was the family, community, culture, and experiences that I still cherish to date. My family owned farmlands in Northern India, where we grew mustard, sugarcane, rice, and wheat. I have learned a strong work ethic and patience through my family, which still helps me today as a Baker.

Growing up, I loved Milk-Cake, a simple sweet made from Milk, Sugar, Ghee, and Acidic Agent( Lemon Juice) with a grainy/pearl texture. It’s found everywhere in India, but still, only a few places can perfect it. I was always intrigued by nuances in making this delicacy, so I tried and tried until I recreated the perfect taste. To this date, I take pride in learning through experiments. I am a self-taught baker and enjoy honing any skill until I am best.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.spicechemistry.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/spicechemistry.by.meg
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SpiceChemistry.by.Meg