Lia's Sweet Treats.

Lia’s Sweet Treats is a home based bakery located at Mala in Panjim. It was started in 2018 by Zelia Fernandes, a young 25-year old hotel management graduate from Panjim.

Zelia’s love for baking started when she was in kindergarten. During that time, her mother would bake a vanilla sponge cake for her birthday every year. Zelia would take a few slices of the cake in tiny party bags for her classmates at school. She was simply fascinated with the whole process of preparing a cake, and as she grew older, she started making cakes for all her friends' birthdays as a midnight surprise.

After completing her higher secondary education, Zelia joined the Goa College of Hospitality and Culinary Education in Dona Paula to do her graduate studies. While pursuing her degree, she interned as a trainee at Vivanta By Taj hotel in Panjim and Cidade De Goa hotel in Dona Paula.

In a brief conversation with Its Goa, Zelia gave us an insight into her life, her career as a baker, the journey of Lia’s Sweets Treats and lots more…

Tell us a little bit about Lia’s Sweet Treats. When did it start, what kind of food items does it offer, etc.

Lia’s Sweet Treats was started in 2018. At that point in time, I had no idea how big it would get, so I am glad that I took the risk. We offer a wide variety of of cakes, cupcakes, brownies, desserts, etc. We also cater to weddings and parties.

What prompted you to start Lia’s Sweet Treats ? What was the idea behind starting this enterprise?

When I was pursuing my degree at the Goa College of Hospitality and Culinary Education, as part of the curriculum, I had to intern in a 5 star hotel. So, I interned as a trainee at Vivanta by Taj and Cidade De Goa as well. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work in the bakery at Vivanta by Taj. Being a trainee, you are given all the odd jobs to do, but I was lucky as the staff at the bakery was limited. Hence, I got a lot of good exposure and experience over there. The head

pastry chef had even offered me a job at Taj, but I couldn't take it as I had to get back to college and complete my degree. Working as an intern at Taj for 12-14 hours straight didn't motivate me enough to go back to the hotel industry. I thought of getting into the HR line, but every HR interview I went to just wasn't feeling right. So, I took the risk and decided to start taking orders for cakes and other pastries from home. This is when the journey of Lia’s Sweet Treats began. My aim was to give people exactly the kind of cakes and pastries they were looking for.

Give us a brief overview of all the members on the team at Lia’s Sweet Treats.

So far, it's just me! I'm the chef, the social media manager, and the delivery person. My dad and my partner play a huge role in helping me out whenever they can.

What is your home bakery famous for? What makes you stand out from your competition? What are your USPs and strengths?

Honestly, there isn't one particular dessert as such. People love our Blueberry New York Cheesecake, Chocolate Rum Balls, Dutch Truffle Cake, etc. I would say our strength is that we try to cater to all clients who have a sweet tooth. Whether you need a novelty cake or a sugar free/ gluten free cake, we make it happen.

What segment of people comprise your major customers?

We don't really have a particular market as such. We receive orders from different types of people.The youth, the elderly, families etc.

What are your most popular food offerings? I would say our Dutch Truffle Cake is one of our most popular offerings. I think this is because chocolate can never go wrong and it’s the most reasonable option too.

What was the biggest challenge that you faced when starting this venture?

I think the biggest challenge was having an order on one day and having nothing to do the next day. It would get very stressful as I didn't know if this brand would work in the long run. I'm glad I stuck to it though, as it has definitely borne its fruit.

Can you share a piece of nostalgia/story related to your restaurant that nobody knows about?

There are times when the cake doesn't turn out perfect and I have to fix it up. There was a time where a completely finished cake fell off my turntable and I had to work on it from scratch. That was a very stressful, yet funny incident.

What role have your family and friends played in running this venture?

Well, my friends and family were very supportive and happy to see me doing what I love. My dad helps me out almost everyday when it comes to picking up ingredients from town. My partner is of huge help when it comes to delivering cakes and working on large orders. We work together most of the time.

What was the feedback from people like when the venture just took off?

Surprisingly, everyone encouraged me and were very happy for me. I would hesitate to tell them that I'm a home baker because I thought they wouldn't think of it as a great profession. Well, clearly I was wrong about doubting myself.

What are your plans for the next few years? My ultimate goal is to start a café, but with the pandemic going on, it's a little risky to think

of opening a place right now. As of now, the thought is to open up a cloud kitchen soon.

What thought would you like to leave our readers with?

There are very few things that we are certain about in life. And if you know exactly what you want to do and achieve in life, you should go for it. Do not hold back, just follow your dreams and let things take its own course. “Do what you love, love what you do” is the quote I live by, and I believe that people should try to do the same.