Sweet but a very serious business: The confectionery queens of Kolkata | Kolkata News

Kolkata’s legendary sweet tooth is no longer satisfied with rosogolla and sandesh. Across the city, iconic and new-age bakeries are reshaping how we indulge our cravings, with a remarkable number of them led by women. From artisanal patisseries to legacy bakeries, they have expanded the city’s dessert vocabulary beyond the traditional mishti counter. Many began in modest home kitchens, turning a passion for baking into full-fledged brands. Others are custodians of family businesses, blending time-honoured recipes with contemporary flourish. Together, they are giving Kolkata’s dessert culture a fresh layer of texture and ambition. We spoke to some of them to understand what it takes to build a bakery in a city that takes its sweets – very – seriously.‘Being an entrepreneur in Kolkata is challenging, but the resilience it demands makes success rewarding’

Few bakeries in Kolkata carry the emotional resonance of Kookie Jar, a brand built with the passion and persistence of Lovey Kapur. What began in 1985 as a teenager’s love for baking in her home kitchen slowly spread – first through friends and family, then through word-of-mouth across the city. As demand grew, ovens moved from the kitchen to the garage before the first Rawdon Street shop opened, quietly laying the foundation of a Kolkata institution. However, this came with challenges like their staff getting poached, store being damaged, recipes and baking tools being stolen. “We had to rebuild everything from scratch. But, we’ve been able to keep up the quality, only because we’ve been so hands-on with everything.” Through decades of changing food trends, Kapur has remained firmly rooted in her philosophy. The brand has never chased fads, choosing instead to “focus on real taste rather than gimmickry.” Today, their legacy thrives because of their patrons: “We make cakes for people’s grandchildren, their 70th birthdays and even their golden anniversary,” shares Lovey.

‘My love for baking came before I took up this profession, that’s when I realised my family’s legacy’

For Alisha Alexander, growing up in Saldanha Bakery felt like living amid aromas, textures & celebration. She now spearheads the fourth-generation women-led bakery, and recalls the pre-festival bustle — the clatter of rolling pins, the scent of fresh cakes and customers who felt like family. The bakery’s time-honoured recipes carry memories across generations. “Inheriting a legacy means maintaining consistency and quality while balancing tradition with innovation.” Built by great-grandmother Ubelina Saldanha, grandmother Mona Saldanha and mother Debra Alexander, the heritage continues through Alisha’s modern creations.

‘I started as a home baker in my own kitchen, and that foundation is something I deeply value’

“Watching my grandma whip up desserts when I was a child made me realise this was my calling,” says Shripriya Gupta, co-founder & head chef of Little Pleasures Patisserie. “Home baking is not small; it requires immense skill, discipline and creativity.” For Shripriya, the shift from passion to business began with closely studying the city’s dessert landscape — market gaps, consumer preferences, pricing and scalability. “Opening our first bakery was not just an emotional milestone, but a strategic step backed by research and clarity.” Moving to a commercial kitchen brought new challenges: larger production volumes, vendor negotiations, team management and maintaining daily consistency. Early collaborators helped ease the transition. “Many who worked with me during my home-baking days continued into the commercial space,” she says. “That continuity built trust & stability. As a woman entrepreneur, it means trusting my vision.”

‘People ask many questions when you’re a female entrepreneur; one just has to ignore them all’

For Megha Sarayan, founder of Modge, entrepreneurship has meant navigating systems and creativity. Starting with a cloud kitchen in Baguihati, the 26-year-old now has cafés in Kolkata and Hyderabad. She notes the journey can be harder for women because “systems are generic, not defined for our gender.” Financial structures remain conservative — “most loans or grants still expect a male collateral.” Despite these challenges, she says: “I always wanted to grow as a brand, not just another dessert label.”