Things started to look better and I thought it’s probably the time to come back home, to come back to Kashmir, says Hayat the heart and soul behind “Crème” also now better known as the “Chef in Making”.
In 2010 Hayat came back from Delhi to Kashmir to salvage whatever is left over of the last few years of extreme turmoil period in the valley. At that time, that year “Ahdoos” was turning in its 100th year. Completing hundred years has an importance for me, and I wanted to bring a beautiful change to this legacy that belonged not only to my family but to the entire Kashmir Valley, says, Hayat. He again says, I honestly wanted to complete these hundred years with our head held high.
It took me a while to research the market and research the surrounding cities to understand what new could be bought to Kashmir and what could be the possibilities. Kashmir has a very traditional way of baking and to change the taste of the local Kashmiri was a challenge. Also there were number of bakeries mushrooming in other neighbourhoods of the city as well, so the notion was why would someone go all the way to the Lal Chowk to buy bakery. At that point of time when everything was changing so quickly, I realized it’s the right time to add new dimension and new lease of life to the bakery.
“Ahdoos Bakery” got it’s new name “Crème”
All these years while I was studying in Delhi and travelling abroad I realized the importance of branding, hence I started thinking of a name that resonates with the contemporary, modern and new age world. That’s where “Crème” originated form, says Hayat. Crème still has the same old ethos but with a little twist in menu and décor.
The menu has been designed and thoughtfully curated by Hayat himself. Also when it comes to baking, Hayat personally looks into the process of baking and helping the chefs in kitchen to learn the finer ways of baking the new products that he has introduced in “Crème”.
Talking about the signature bakery items at “Crème” there are different flavours of cupcakes that are available starting from Red Velvet, Oreo to Chocolate Cupcakes. There are also different fruit varieties of cheese cakes that are baked at “crème” but the one that stands favourite amongst customers is “Blueberry Cheesecake”. To get this one piece of cake one must call in advance to see if its available. Also a favourite amongst the youngsters and kids is the famous “Chocolate Eclair Roll” and the exotic “White Cream Eclair Roll”. Another bakery item that “Crème” is known for is its “Walnut Tarts”, “Walnut Pie” and different varieties of cookies, traditional Kashmiri cookies and Choco chip cookies, butter cookies and almond cookies.
Next time you are in Kashmir you must stop by at Crème” bakery to sip on a hot cup of coffee with a piece of freshly baked cake.
