Meeta Makecha, owner and chef of the bakery-cum-restaurant, The Flour Works, shares with Tania Roy her interesting culinary journey so far and how she looks forward to starting more food places

Life slows to a leisurely pace as you walk in through the glass door of The Flour Works, a spacious restaurant and bakery in Kalyani Nagar. Ushering me in, the owner Meeta Makecha shows me around. At the takeaway counters — the bread baskets on the shelves and on the glass counter running almost half the length of the store — you can find a delectable array of freshly-baked breads and rolls, decorative cakes and desserts and small bites like quiches, pies, croissants, muffins and more. Before I settle down for a mid-afternoon chat with Makecha about the place that she has nourished and nurtured for the past 18 months, and has successfully put on Pune’s gastronomic map, I decide to take home some of the savouries.

Makecha and I comfortably plonk ourselves at one of the tables next to the floor-to-ceiling glass window, which gives a wide angle view of the not-so-busy lane of Kalyani Nagar. Over a cup of tea, she starts sharing her experiences of running The Flour Works and how she equipped herself with basic cooking skills before starting her own place.

“I have been cooking since I was young. But it was mainly Indian food because I am a Gujarati and at my parents’ home we are strictly vegetarian. Even garlic and onion are a no-no. However, after moving to the USA post marriage I enrolled for an intensive course at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, which helped me acquire Continental culinary skills. Now, I cook everything and enjoy eating all kinds of food,” says she adding that being a non-vegetarian does not make her less spiritual. “Religion and food are two different things,” says Makecha exuding a lot of warmth and sincerity as she talks.

Ever since The Flour Works took off, she has been working all seven days of the week and has not taken a vacation. “This kind of a business needs your attention, so I am here from 11 am to 1.30 am daily supervising all the work and taking care that my customers get good, comfort food every time they step in,” shares Makecha. She adds that she thoroughly enjoys the hectic schedule.

The only break that she has been enjoying of late is the Thursday lunchout with friends. “My friends literally pull me out for lunch to try out a new eatery in town ,” she says.

Before her maiden entrepreneurial venture, Makecha worked for five years in restaurants under the guidance of expert French chefs in the USA. “I love cooking and more than anything, enjoy being a chef,” shares Makecha who now has a team of 15 chefs, and other service staff to help her run the restaurant.

To keep up with the ever-evolving food industry, she reads two to three hours on the Net every day. “Trends may come and go, but I firmly believe that food has to be about food. It cannot be gimmicky,” says Makecha who has also done consultancy for bakeries and restaurants in Pune, like Cakes and More, Post 91, Gaia, in the past.

Talking about her work challenges, she says, “Sometimes, it is hard to be always nice to your customers, especially after working for nine hours or more in the kitchen. But it’s part of my job, I guess” she says.

Initially she also found it hard to tackle the complacent attitude of most people towards women entrepreneurs. “When I started, I placed my trust in vendors and suppliers, but I gradually realised that if I wanted to achieve something, I had to depend more on myself than others. So, if I was promised a 3 pm delivery time, I made sure the goods arrived on time. Another major task was quality check. Once I received a consignment of 10 pork ribs and checked the quality of 8 and left the last two. When these ribs were cooked and served to the guests, they found it hard and chewy. Since that day, I have been inspecting the quality of each and every product that arrives at The Flour Works and all the food that is served to our guests,” she shares.

Besides breakfast, lunch and dinner, The Flour Works is open to film screenings and also hosts painting exhibitions for NGOs. “We are also trying to get together groups for wine appreciation classes,” says Makecha, who is also planning to open more interesting food places.