Hello! Welcome to our story of Liliyum! It all began when we sisters’- Kavida and Sangeetha decided to follow a dream! Being the foodies that we are has a big role in transforming the dream into a pursuit! Our professional lives took us to different cities, pursuing different careers; but the love for food and a pursuit of the dream remained: A cafe patisserie where the personal becomes the personality and where little moments of life become celebrations to remember.
With one of us being a specialty pastry chef and the other being great with managing and coordination, we had our minds and hearts set. Moving the families to the same city and getting them on board and be partners in our dream was the next big plan. Since it had been a dream and also something that we were good at, our spouses did not need much convincing. Jijo (Kavida’s husband) being from the hospitality industry, knowing the reigns of the business and Sharath (Sangeetha’s husband) being a product manager and a thorough foodie helped us make it a cakewalk. Our dream resonated with them as well!
That accomplished; we had to move to a single city. Bengalooru had been a second home for both and one of us had made our home in the city. Having lived here and grown to love it, we could not think beyond Bengalooru. Bengalooru with its very own personality made it very personal for us. That decision made, it was time that we took our first step; that was the most challenging part. Logic and logistics are a lot more overwhelming than the decision of having to go with our hearts.
Kavida: Moving from a job at a five-star hotel with stability, comfort and support meant I was starting from scratch. To create, to build, to invest and press a restart button. It also meant moving with my daughter to Bangalore, while Jijo was going to live and support us from Mumbai until we start operations. With it, was the challenge of having to match the quality, standards and taste in everything I would create going forward. That actually put me to the task of finding the best version of myself, with ease; like it was my second nature…
Sangeetha: As a mother of two and a corporate job at hand, I was settled and loved the city I was in. I did not have to move but it meant that I would quit my corporate job and jump into an entirely new realm. It also meant that Sharath and I had to be very careful about how we handled everything. It was also one thing to be a foodie and an expert critique of food that I ate and made; but a different thing to look, follow and set up procedures and protocols for testing and quality control! Phew!
Nevertheless, it all came together with the support and push we had from our spouses and kids. In no time we were zipping across Bengalooru to find a place to set shop. Initially, the idea was to set up a cafe patisserie with food, fun and familiarity.
We did try to work that, but it did not work in our favour; cause we weren’t able to zero down on a property that resonated with us. So, we began our backend work and started the stint as a trial run.
As for the name! We had a name in mind! From the time we had our hearts on setting out on our own, we knew it was going to be something that is associated with the lily flower. It was like a personal totem of luck for both of us, so when we started to explore names we could only think of Lilium - as in the flower. It was through our many brainstorming sessions that we finally zeroed on the lily of the flower to the yummy menu we have to offer and call ourselves liliyum.
Having had a trial run before we set ourselves has been a great learning in our journey. We have had the most humbling and exciting experiences. We have been able to personalize and be a part of some wonderful celebrations for everyone who have ordered from us; for birthday’s, anniversaries and graduations to small and intimate personal celebrations. It’s all a part of how we have been graciously accepted by our customers. We have had honest and supportive feedback from family, friends and customers alike about our bakes; each of which has given us a perspective on how we could be better in what we do.
For us, it has never been just about baking, but baking as we would for family. This is the philosophy we carry as we head one step closer to our dream. It also made us realize that Liliyum isn’t just a dream. Liliyum is also an emotion and passion that reflects in everything we create in our kitchen for you.
We hope you enjoy what we bring to the table as much as we enjoy making them for you! Enjoy the little yum moments with Liliyum!
Kavida & Sangeetha.
With one of us being a specialty pastry chef and the other being great with managing and coordination, we had our minds and hearts set. Moving the families to the same city and getting them on board and be partners in our dream was the next big plan. Since it had been a dream and also something that we were good at, our spouses did not need much convincing. Jijo (Kavida’s husband) being from the hospitality industry, knowing the reigns of the business and Sharath (Sangeetha’s husband) being a product manager and a thorough foodie helped us make it a cakewalk. Our dream resonated with them as well!
That accomplished; we had to move to a single city. Bengalooru had been a second home for both and one of us had made our home in the city. Having lived here and grown to love it, we could not think beyond Bengalooru. Bengalooru with its very own personality made it very personal for us. That decision made, it was time that we took our first step; that was the most challenging part. Logic and logistics are a lot more overwhelming than the decision of having to go with our hearts.
Kavida: Moving from a job at a five-star hotel with stability, comfort and support meant I was starting from scratch. To create, to build, to invest and press a restart button. It also meant moving with my daughter to Bangalore, while Jijo was going to live and support us from Mumbai until we start operations. With it, was the challenge of having to match the quality, standards and taste in everything I would create going forward. That actually put me to the task of finding the best version of myself, with ease; like it was my second nature…
Sangeetha: As a mother of two and a corporate job at hand, I was settled and loved the city I was in. I did not have to move but it meant that I would quit my corporate job and jump into an entirely new realm. It also meant that Sharath and I had to be very careful about how we handled everything. It was also one thing to be a foodie and an expert critique of food that I ate and made; but a different thing to look, follow and set up procedures and protocols for testing and quality control! Phew!
Nevertheless, it all came together with the support and push we had from our spouses and kids. In no time we were zipping across Bengalooru to find a place to set shop. Initially, the idea was to set up a cafe patisserie with food, fun and familiarity.
We did try to work that, but it did not work in our favour; cause we weren’t able to zero down on a property that resonated with us. So, we began our backend work and started the stint as a trial run.
As for the name! We had a name in mind! From the time we had our hearts on setting out on our own, we knew it was going to be something that is associated with the lily flower. It was like a personal totem of luck for both of us, so when we started to explore names we could only think of Lilium - as in the flower. It was through our many brainstorming sessions that we finally zeroed on the lily of the flower to the yummy menu we have to offer and call ourselves liliyum.
Having had a trial run before we set ourselves has been a great learning in our journey. We have had the most humbling and exciting experiences. We have been able to personalize and be a part of some wonderful celebrations for everyone who have ordered from us; for birthday’s, anniversaries and graduations to small and intimate personal celebrations. It’s all a part of how we have been graciously accepted by our customers. We have had honest and supportive feedback from family, friends and customers alike about our bakes; each of which has given us a perspective on how we could be better in what we do.
For us, it has never been just about baking, but baking as we would for family. This is the philosophy we carry as we head one step closer to our dream. It also made us realize that Liliyum isn’t just a dream. Liliyum is also an emotion and passion that reflects in everything we create in our kitchen for you.
We hope you enjoy what we bring to the table as much as we enjoy making them for you! Enjoy the little yum moments with Liliyum!
Kavida & Sangeetha.
3 comments
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Fantastic back story and website, just like the cake you guys made for my kids birthday. Wishing you all success with Liliyum. You have our patronage and support.
So excited for you girls!. Best of luck.
Way to go!!! All the very best !!! :) :)