After running her maiden cafe, Le15 in Colaba for a decade, Patissier Pooja Dhingra has decided to shut shop. The decision has been taken in the wake of the coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown which has had a huge impact on the economy, particularly on the hospitality and tourism industry.
"April was anything but easy. I’ve had to make some tough (and heartbreaking) decisions this past month. Thank you for giving our baby so much love," she wrote on Instagram sharing the heartfelt article that she has penned to the same while recounting her journey so far and the way forward.
Apart from looking forward to opening her central kitchen once the lockdown ends and whip up new recipes that she has curated during this quarantine, Pooja is also putting together an e-cookbook featuring all recipes from their cafe. The revenue from this book will help her cover her costs and take care of her team.
The cafe, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in March this year was built from scratch by her and in the decade since then, she has impressed pretty much everyone in the city with her macarons and delicious pastries, including her friend Sonam Kapoor whose six-tier tall wedding cake was crafted by Pooja.
Reacting to the news, Sonam Kapoor took to Instagram to share a photo of them, indulging in some cookies.
Not just close friend Sonam, people from all walks of life, including entertainment and fashion, reacted to the sad news. While Parineeti Chopra called her a soldier, Ekta Kapoor and Anshula Kapoor sent her love.
It is important to note that around six weeks ago, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) had requested for government's support for the survival of restaurants. Asking for a freeze on rental dues and requesting for a delay in utility payments, President of NRAI, Riyaaz Amlani had shared the following post: