Parvathy Ranjive, our resident dessert blogger studied at Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian Law School for five years and worked for two and a half years. But it was only when she met her husband and a did a bit of travelling, in the United States, that she found her true calling. She was amazed by the colours, aromas and nutrition of food but she also loved that she had her husband to share it with. He became her main inspiration to truly begin her blog in 2015.
With Bengaluru being her home base, we caught up with Parvathy at a corner coffee shop to talk about her journey. It was her passion for food that shone through the most during our brief meeting. She tells us more over cinnamon rolls and iced coffee:
What are your first memories of food?
I'm basically from Kerala but my idea of food was shaped by mom who would try new recipes that went beyond the traditional Kerala cuisine. My dad was in the navy, so we have travelled all around India...My mother was very particular about what we ate. She loved to collect recipes and we were the guinea pigs she used to try them on...I am thankful though...There are two ends to the spectrum. You want to appreciate a babka but you also want to know what a good aloo paratha tastes like.
What is the idea behind the name of your blog?
It's all for my husband!..It was actually, 'A Cupcake for the Love' as in 'The Husband' but then it was too long.
Where do you source your ingredients from?
My food is not based on what is locally sourced, I would be wrong to say that. Because I have a blueberry roll and a raspberry chocolate tart. These are things that aren’t native here. But it's nice! The idea is to try it and see how the flavours work...I try to cook what is seasonal, but I also like fruits like peaches, which are native to northern India.
How did you learn photography?
It’s all self-learnt! Before I got married ,my dad gave me a very basic DSLR camera. My dad loves to photograph when travelling. So after I got the DSLR, I started looking for inspiration on sites,like Pinterest. But every time I took a photo, I didn't understand why the Pinterest version looked better than mine.
I was so foolish in the beginning, thinking it was just the camera. But now, three years later, I realise it's everything. The camera, the food, it's the light, the ingredients that you use and finally the editing. Editing makes a huge difference! There was a time when I thought the editing process was cheating. I always used to defend my favourite bloggers. But now I know better... it's not wrong. You are just doing justice to what you are shooting.
What is a food that's tough to shoot?
Ice cream! It's the toughest thing, on the planet, to photograph. Especially because we have warm and humid weather. It's nearly impossible to shoot. I have to do justice to the ingredients as well. That is why it's a challenging process. Products that melt and products with steam (like coffee) are always tricky. With steam, I have to keep running to the microwave, to get that one perfect steam shot. Oh! Finally, we have the drizzle
. Timing is everything. But pictures with a drizzle are worth it because it gives you the most response. There is an element of excitement that can't go unnoticed.
What are your thoughts on food styling?
Half my blogging budget goes into props. Especially antique shopping. But I am trying to limit that. I feel that finding a way to balance your props and food is an art. You need to find the story in the food, instead of using the props to speak for you. You need to attract people into the minimalism. That's what I think is beautiful.
Does the equipment make the food?
When I started, I didn’t have lots of equipment. In fact, I had a microwave oven. For baking, you need to have a good oven to get the perfect texture. There is no compromise for that.
But for anyone starting out, learn to work with your hands instead of a whisk or mixer, then you will develop technique and patience. If you learn these two things, tomorrow if your recipe doesn’t work out, you can backtrack your steps more easily. It's like math, if you already know how to get to the end, you will never know the steps.
What is the hardest recipe you've tried?
Macaroons! Oh, my! I need so much preparation to make these. Your choice of ingredients and ingredient prep is very important. I spend hours trying to get the best tips from every blogger or recipe expert and do my best to follow them, just to be on the safe side.
What would you like your last meal to be?
I think I will go back to my roots. I would have to say Sadhya. I can eat anything around the world and come back to eat it, with joy. This is the feeling I'm trying to build in my son, there is a lot of food around, but you need to appreciate your roots.