About

Hi there!

Thanks for coming! Would you like some cake?

My mother tells me I was asking this question to all guests who came before I was old enough to walk. While she’s always sweet to exaggerate in the way only mothers can, I honestly believe that I have always been connected to food. My love for cooking and baking and lugging back spatulas in 6 different colors from wherever I go was born out of sheer necessity. I *love* to eat. At some point, I figured if I love to eat maybe I should learn to cook. That way, I didn’t have to bribe my mother to constantly make me something “fancy”.

I started off simple – a few classes here and there and before I knew it I was finding ways to constantly trek back to the kitchen, with a book in hand. My first ever cookbook was Nigella Lawson’s How To Be A Domestic Goddess. I remember reading it cover to cover, every night before I went to bed. I was 13 years old then. After that, life changed a little. I moved from Dubai to a boarding school in India. Now, I know what you think buuut my school was heaven on earth. It was a really beautiful campus, best ever people and really, really good grilled cheese toast. Incomparable, really. So you see, I wasn’t really far away from good food. After that, I moved to Bombay for my undergrad degree and that is when things got really crazy. I absolutely fell madly in love with the city (so cliched but I did). I’ve never felt quite at home as I do now. I love to eat out or stay in and cook. The city makes both equally possible. Stuff of dreams, really.

My Blog:

There have been many bizarre coincidences in my life. Finding Purple Foodie’s blog has been a totally life altering one. One random Google search later, I was hooked. Again, I read her blog, post after post. I was also immensely lucky to meet her and contribute to her blog in a small way. I could say that I was blogging to document my kitchen experiences but really, I was so inspired! Shaheen, if you’re reading this, thank you! I hope I can repay in kind and cookies. Over time, I continue to be inspired by all of my other favorite blogs. See the list of them here. I also love to read, so there’s always a dog eared cookbook recipe to try. Of course, I have list of my favorite books here. Pinterest is also another excellent, equally addictive source. Besides this, I have no formal training. I took a course at IHM during the summer and while that was err an experience, I really continue to learn more through my blogs, books and doing.

Blog Design:

I’ve played with many different blog formats but after Shaheen’s advice, I’ve switched to WordPress. It took some getting used to but I’m really loving it so far. There’s a lot more to play around with, although I’m still learning. I’m also trying to take more pictures with the “good” camera – a Nikon DLSR. Then, after some transferring, I edit them on my iPhone, probably share them on Instagram and Twitter and put them back here. Phew. For recipes, I always credit the source. If you feel inspired enough to try a recipe or two, link back here and we will compare notes.

The Catering Service:

The Vanilla Bean Bakery is a small catering service from my domestic kitchen. It’s my newest baby and I love making things for you all! If you email me at least 2 days prior to your event, I can rustle up something for you, as per your tastes. I haven’t ventured into sugarcraft cakes because I believe in the natural looking, frosting slathered cakes but there is a lot for you to choose from. I’ll be uploading a menu soon! Besides that, I also conduct occasional workshops where we can chat butter, sugar and sprinkles. If you email me (on thevanillabeanin@gmail.com), I can set up something for you and 4 of your friends. Besides that, I regularly post updates on my Facebook page so if you’d like for your timeline to be flooded with cake sometimes, like it!

FAQs and this and that:

Thank you people! I love that you write in. All questions are important and I love to answer every one. I’m working on an FAQ page that will hopefully encompass some of the questions. As always, feel free to write in. I love to find cake crazy people.

Happy eating!