Hotelier By Profession & Baker By Passion

What would you say, is the signature Style of Deep Singh, What message you relay to your guests through your baking?

Deep Singh Bawa:- First of all, a little background. I am hotelier by profession and I’ve worked with different properties for good 10 years. Then I called it off and now what I do is purely baking in the world of baking, started two venture first Deep Studio Kitchen which is freezer to oven bake venture another is Home Baker India which is a purely digital space PR for the baking industry. Baking is fun to me, I enjoy baking i just play it around with basics like flour, butter sugar. I think I just enjoy it that’s what I always say… Its very simple often people misinterprets baking to be really really tough but it’s not. If you really start to enjoy it. Since I travel overseas I gather a lot of experience from the pastry world as India is not a baking nation so for us, there’s a lot to learn from the west and when i come back i try to recreate recipes in my own version and that’s how we developed this concept of freezer to oven. Deep Studio Kitchen is purely freezer to oven bake brand and that’s what we do!

As a Hotelier, tell us how Artificial Intelligence has made hotel operation easier?

Deep Singh Bawa:- Artificial Intelligence, firstly I’d like to clarify its a myth that AI is something that is going to take people’s job it’s not like replacing human power. Artificial Intelligence is only a technological aid given to human being to kind of do things better and improve the services even better. It’s an aid rather than taking things away from people. There’s a lot of hotels if you see worldwide they’ve already started adopting AI be it as basics as collecting data from different guests who’ve stayed in the hotel or people who are prospective guests, collecting all this data in different parameters and analyzing it and sorting it and then they are able to use this data to provide a personalized services to the guests which can create an experience better for them. Another example i would talk about would be i remember Hilton had come up with concierge robots called Connie and it’s very interesting they will greet you you can ask them questions about the weather, about the things to do and he will tell you everything… in a way collecting a lot of data also i see many of the Indian hotels started to collect and give a personalized experience by keeping chatbots.

Replying automatically on social media by standard answers and giving them quick services and people are happy about it and even in-room control are controlled by lot these application like ITC is doing it even worldwide Marriott is doing it there’s a lovely app you can do all your stuff from check-in check-out, you can put all your details and they would know everything about you and your preferences your likes, everything. So I really think AI is going a long way and even Airlines are doing it… Vistara have robots at their lounge. Hospitality and Hotels both are really using this aid it should be taken as an aid and not something as a replacement. Humans can never be replaced. So it is very important to understand that AI is need of an hour and the more we invest into it and the learning and the data… We’re able to sort our data. From a hotel perspective, we’ll get information about preferences, choices, payment methods etc so all these details helps you to gather different capture points of data of the users. These information are already helping hotels and will continue to help. 

Tell us about Istamojo?

Deep Singh Bawa:- Instamojo is our preferred payment gateway partner, in fact we were very close with them as we were the initial onboard users for them and we really love the idea when we started and even before starting Home Baker India we started using their services in 2013-14. We were also a part of their mojo series in 2018.   

You’ve started baking at the age of 14 from there to now what changes you’ve witnessed in the Baking Industry?

Deep Singh Bawa:- This is really a wide question because we’re talking about a good amount of years. I think more than 20 years and more than 2 decades. So a lot has happened we’re talking about from the time when Zee TV was just launched and to now when we have the plethora of television channels to abundance of social media and google and everything which has opened soo much of information for the people that people are getting intermediated by this world of baking, it fascinates people and a lot people I know that they just leave their high paying jobs being journalist, some are doctors, lawyers so people are getting tempted and just leave it all for the love of baking. I think it has really come a long way because of the change in perception in people like yes this can be a profession, Baking can also earn you a livelihood which earlier was questionable but now its a very respectable job, be a chef or a baker because this is a very very wide field. I would suggest that to summarise that in this more than two-decade abundance of information and the quality and the knowledge which is now available, the product which are available to use. It is still not up to the mark as west but still, there’s a start to new things. 

Please share your Vision behind Home Bakers India? 

Deep Singh Bawa:- Home Bakers India as said is purely a marketing platform for the baking industry. It is a B2B platform wherein we’re targeting four categories of people first being the bakers, then educators thirdly sellers and the brands itself. So that is what we largely cover and keep on conducting online and offline events and International shows.  

You’ve started Hame Bakers India in 2015, How home bakers is exclusive as a platform to home bakers?

Deep Singh Bawa:- Home Bakers India if you see it only for home bakers so… No! Home here signifies love and passion. People associate word home with anything that is made with love and affection and that is the reason. So we have got everyone on board be it the five-star hotel chef or the people baking at home anyone who is a baker and is a segment of Baking industry is a part of this platform. 

Sugar is often vilified- it is possible to create world-class dessert without sugar?

Deep Singh Bawa:- I love sugar and I can’t really think of doing anything without sugar, though there are a lot of sugar-free products available. Stevia was trending for a while but it has little aftertaste. There are alternatives but personally I can’t put it at rest I really feel anything in moderation is good. It’s not a dessert without sugar and definitely not a world-class dessert. 

Do You think Bakery products can create a larger market than ‘Mithais’ in India?

Deep Singh Bawa:- Absolutely, we’re already seeing a trend. Every year on year we’re increasing with the number of chocolates and baked goods during Diwali and Wedding Season so I think its definitely increasing because people think that it has a larger shelf life thus people are preferring baked products. Indian Mithais has their own charm but yes Baking is also taking its good place. 

And finally, if you’re granted two wishes to change gastronomic bakery life- the nations food habits in India. What would they be?

Deep Singh Bawa:- First would be awareness or knowledge. I think most people lack in basics so there should be some awareness program regarding what is good or bad. People should be educated that what is better Chocolate or compound. Then good quality of ingredients which is still not available at the retail perspective. 

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