Despite securing 99 percent in her 12th grade biology subject, Sana could not let go her passion for baking. While preparing for MBBS entrance exam, she also did couple of courses in cake making and bakery production.
20-year-old Sana Imtiyaz merged both art and food to present her creative best in the form of home-made designer cakes.
‘Sweet Temptations by Sana Imtiyaz’ has become a favourite name in the city for the people who want to celebrate special moments of their loved ones like weddings, birthdays and other events. Sana’s designer cakes earned a reputation in Srinagar during short span of time.
But she says that her brief journey to success wasn’t a cake walk.
“It invited lot of criticism when despite being a science topper, I choose home baking that was my passion over being a doctor or an engineer,” Sana says, but hastens to add that support from her family including, her cousins, and friends boosted her passion for baking.
It was not an easy choice to decide between doing MBBS and following her passion for making cakes.
“It was a time full of discouragement, anxiety and bumps for me. But I continued with baking which I later thought of turning into a full-time profession. Thank God I am happy about it. My love for food and my courses in baking and cake designing gave me an edge to turn it into a full-time thing in my life,” she says.
Her professional courses in baking include a diploma from one of the prestigious cake designing schools in Delhi. She believes that through her home baking and decoration, she is trying to make people happy and also at the same time she is trying to be self sufficient and do something different that can pave way for other young girls to pursue their dreams.
Sana, who would not receive even a single order for days earlier, have to handle more than four orders on daily basis now.
Sana at 20 is one of the youngest home bakers of the city, who specialises in themed cakes, designer cakes and other contemporary gift cakes. She claims to have introduced new types of products like cakesickles (cakes in shapes of little decorative ice-creams) in Kashmir. She maintains that her new way of baking has attracted a good number of people and has earned her many loyal customers over a short period of time.
Other than conventional bakery products she specializes in chocolate boxes which are made by using dry fruits like almonds and dates.
Hampers, themed cup cakes are some other type of products which her customers can order for special occasions.
This young girl who has passed her 12th class less than two years back is doing everything single handed without any assistance. “I don’t posses any outlet or any staff so far, my home is my office and I work from there,” she says. However, she makes full use of social media to promote her business and connect with the people. From placing order to updating costumers and delivering orders, her pages on Facebook, Instagram along with her Whatsapp business account has proved backbone of her business.
Sana runs an Instagram page by the name “Sweet Temptations by Sana Imtiyaz”. The page has more than 2,000 followers. She also uses her Facebook page for keeping her followers up-to-date with her work and latest offers and work.
Apart from social media Sana Imitiyaz often participates in cake making competitions and exhibitions.
Sana has recently started home delivery by collaborating with a local home delivery provider.
Taking cue from Sana, young girls, who want to follow their passion, can start the business from their homes without investing in huge infrastructure.
