The sweetness of dessert served with a pinch of nostalgia can never go wrong, can it? A sister duo, Swati and Sanyogita Rathore from Jaipur have recently recast their 60-year-old ancestral property into a cafe and patisserie; O'baque.
A team of eight people make O'baque the wonderful place it is! Swati looks at the administration part and Sanyogita is the head chef. Wrapped in a vintage ambience, this place offsets a European vibe within a historically rich space. We talked to the founders about their journey of transformation and these excerpts from the interview will answer everything you might want to know.
Tell us about the manifestation and transformation process:
"In 2012, I (Swati) was looking at my Pinterest board and it said 'open a bakery'. During the pandemic, I and Sanyogita spent a lot of time together at home and the thought of launching our own bakery finally started taking a solid shape. In November 2021 we decided to give it a go!
We aimed to renovate the old driveway, servant quarters and storage rooms of our ancestral property into the cafe, by keeping its real essence in place. The transformation took almost nine months of sweat and blood but it's worth every minute."
How would you describe the vibe of O’baque?
"Inspired by the European-style cafes, we knew our place would be a cosy abode for everyone with an amalgamation of modern fittings and vintage crockery. We envisioned it to be a place where families could spend quality time and kids could run around, luckily it turned out that way.
When people walk into O'baque they express how it feels like they've been transported to Portugal or a small French bakery."
What is the dream team for Sanyogita and what are Chef’s recommendations?
"My dream team would be Chef Vinesh Johny, Chef Sehaj Ghuman (my mentor), Chef Cedric Grolet and Chef Amaury Guichon.
In terms of the Chef's recommendation, I would personally love the customers to savour our Strawberry Cheesecake Croissant and Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Buns."
What would you advise individuals with viable ideas given that leaving a full-time job to launch a business is not easy?
"It is not easy but you have to take that plunge. It needs a village to support you emotionally and financially, but you need to eventually take that chance and start working towards it.
Manifestation is definitely not a one-day thing and neither does execution but a solid support system will keep you going. In our case it was family."
What are future plans for O'baque?
"O'Baque would be developing fresh tastes while maintaining the traditional flavours in mind and giving them a modern spin for Jaipur.
We will gradually do gelatos and start with the savoury menu. We are also planning to launch a speakeasy bar with some specially curated cocktails."
If you are craving croissants or a delectable dessert, head straight to O'baque, meanwhile, we will find more such places for you and your loved ones. Thank us later :)
Address: 3, Peelwa Garden, Moti Doongri Rd, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302004, India
Open: 11 am-9 pm
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