Vedkiran was devastated when he wasn’t able to hire the right chef who shared his vision for healthy, tasty and sophisticated desserts in his establishment.
Kochi :
Vedkiran was devastated when he wasn’t able to hire the right chef who shared his vision for healthy, tasty and sophisticated desserts in his establishment. Now, as a businessman himself, he couldn’t afford to go away for a three-year course to learn all the nuances taught in pastry school. “I needed a place that could give practical training in this regard. Theoretical training through conventional courses was not enough,” says Vedkiran. A small look into the state of pastry chefs in the country showed him a bigger picture.
Bangalore-based ‘Whitecaps International School of Pastry’ was not just a startup but also what Vedkiran needed to equip his own business along with the entire food industry. “After failing to find a pastry chef who matches my vision, I did some research into finding professionals and realised that there wasn’t any professional institution to teach confectionery or baking. I always wanted to start up in the food industry and through this research, I also realised the gap that the education sector had with the confectionery industry,” says Vedkiran.
Although some may argue that baking is too niche a category to have an institute for, Vedkiran begs to differ. “We as Indians have a conventional way of seeing things. Anything that isn’t usual, we consider niche. But if you look deeper, most of the urban populace is familiar with international gourmet food. And confectioneries, dessert bars are on a rise lately. You can find sophisticated outlets that exclusively serve desserts running successfully. Today’s urban citizen is not happy with the usual. And, as the industry grows so does the need for professional pastry chefs. That’s where Whitecaps International comes in,” he explains. Whitecaps International School of Pastry offers three-month specialisation courses in various skills required to be a pastry chef with 1 week of industry experience. “Our alumni are already placed in star hotels across the country,” says Vedkiran.
As Vedkiran learns along with students, he also has the help of Aravind Prasad, a celebrity chef who represented India globally. Ved shares, “He helped me structure the courses and his experience and expertise got our students the hands-on learning that they needed to go ahead and pursue their dreams.” Their alumni are placed in prestigious positions in establishments like Shangi La, Ritz Carlton and Hyatt Regency.
Started with a self-funding of `1 crore, Vedkiran after just one year of establishing the institute valuated the company for `11 crores and acquired investment for a 6 per cent share in the company. Besides expanding the infrastructure of the Bengaluru institute, Vedkiran plans on franchising the institute to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
In a Nutshell
- Vedkiran, a Bengaluru-based MBA grad started Whitecaps International School of Pastry in 2016
- Self-funded with E1 Cr, the company use their valuation at E11 Cr in a year and got investment for 6 per cent of share
- The alumni of the institute work at establishments like Shangri La, Ritz Carlton and Hyatt Regency, while most set up their own confectioneries.
- Vedkiran plans on franchising the institute to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Srividya Palaparthi / Express News Service / February 28th, 2019