“Food runs in my blood,” says pastry chef Deepthi Janakiram, while putting the finishing touches to one of her specialty vegan cakes.
The mother-of-two is hard at work in the kitchen of her family home, decorating a multi-layered creation built around pandan and mango flavours.
“I wanted to incorporate some kind of tropical flavour because, you know, I'm from India,” the 36-year-old says.
“Mango is a king of food in India, they get the best mangoes.
“So when we came to Australia, the varieties are different and it took a while to enjoy the fruit here. But now we really enjoy the summer for mangoes.”
Deepthi's mango and pandan cake Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
“The initial six months after we arrived were extremely hard,” she says.
“We migrated with our first son Ved, now aged eight, and I was pregnant for the second time with my son Shlok, now aged four. So when he was born I was in a new country with no friends or family or help around.
“A few months later I thought ‘I have to do something’, so I started making cakes and since then it’s taken off.
Deepthi runs her small business, The Green Bakery, from home in Sydney’s north.
“Mostly my business is word of mouth, so 90 per cent of my customers say I’ve been recommended. And that is wonderful.”
One of the reasons for its success, she caters to a wide range of dietary requirements.
“It could be gluten free, egg free, dairy free, soy free - yes people come to me because I can do anything for them.
“But it cannot be just free from allergens. When it comes to baking, a cake not only needs to be beautiful looking, the end product has to be very, very tasty.”
While her cake business is growing steadily, in recent years Deepthi was forced to adapt as the pandemic and its restrictions led to many cancellations.
“When COVID first hit, nobody wanted a cake. So, for some weeks, I was out of work.
“Then I offered simple $50 cakes on social media, and suddenly I had people messaging me and placing orders.
The mango and pandan cake Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
Now Deepthi sells around 700 cakes each year, and many include south Asian flavours like coconut sugar frosting, a Malaysian delicacy.
“Making a vegan cake taste good is quite challenging. The actual cake itself has a lot of components, with multiple layers and different flavours.”
Deepthi with her family in India Credit: Supplied Deepthi Janakiram
“My mum was a wonderful, wonderful cook. We always had the freshest food, because she cooked from first thing in the morning into the evening.
Deepthi trained as a singer and could have pursued a career on the stage, these days she sings along while preparing cakes in her kitchen.
Deepthi (right) with her husband Kiran and son Ved Credit: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
“But I would like to sell more cakes to cover costs, because when you run your own business, it is so hard.
“Ideally, I would like to hire some team members and then find a bigger space and move the business out.”
