By Phaomei Ganmeilu
IMPHAL, January 11: Manipur’s outlook towards cakes has changed dramatically in the last few years. While cakes have never been a part of weddings in the state except for the Christians and limited to birthdays in the state, they have gained in popularity and become an integral part of wedding rituals in the state today.
With the rise in the popularity of cakes in the state, bakeries engaged in made to order cakes have sprung up in the vicinity of Imphal.`Elle’s Cakes & Bakes` is one such bakery offering designer cakes, home-made chocolates and other such items.
What was once just a hobby blossomed into a full-fledged business for Meitram Elizabeth, the brain and the influence behind Elle’s Cakes & Bakes. During a brief chat with this IFP reporter at her second store at Chingmeirong this evening, Elizabeth recalled that she was always interested in baking cakes during her growing up years.
“Earlier on, I was a professional interior designer before she turned my hobby into a full- fledged business,” she said adding that she had undertaken a professional course on baking and sugar-craft before opening her first shop at Lamphel in 2010.
Interestingly, the name of her enterprise is not derived from her own name but from the French word ‘Elle’ meaning `She`. Explaining the context of the name, Elizabeth added that out of a total 30 employees who assist her in running two stores, 80% were women.
“I believe in women empowerment and saw that many women are often at a disadvantage because of their lack of skills” said Elizabeth who flies in most of her ingredients from countries like Germany, US and others. She however added that incidents of bandhs, strikes and curfews in the state often hamper efforts to fly in ingredients needed for her cake and confectionery production.
Specializing in wedding and birthday cakes, `Elle`s Cakes & Bakes` today has an array of over 20 varieties of cake flavors with Black forest being the most in demand. Catering to the demands of customers who ask for special designs, Elizabeth said that in festival and marriage season, it is normal to sell cakes totaling 200 kgs in a day.
“There is a misconception among the people in the state that only government jobs are `proper jobs`, but there are also several ways through which one can earn a livelihood. The only catch word should be patience and hard work,” said Elizabeth adding that
`Elle’s Cakes & Bakes` has plans to open up stores at Keishampat and Singjamei and that it would soon introduce its own variety of breads.