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Food for the soul

Mehnaz Ali talks about whipping up delicacies that keeps the gourmet Hyderabadi happy

SWEET TREAT Desserts are Mehnaz's forte

Twelve years ago when she got married and moved to Hyderabad from Toronto, little did she realise that she would have people in the city eating out of her hands! Today, Mehanz Ali whips up oh-so-sinful cakes and desserts from Labonel, a patisserie that she runs from her house. She says, "When I first came here, I began by conducting cookery classes. Even though I wasn't doing it commercially, I would do savoury bakes and breads for a few people and just when I was toying with the idea of starting my own place and thought I was ready to do something of my own, Labonel came along." Labonel, incidentally, belonged to Mehanz's close friend Anelise, who has not only sold the business to her, but has also given her all her secret recipes.

Mehnaz has been baking since she was 10 and despite being an art major she says she can cook all time and is here to cater to people who would like the real thing, but don't always want to make it themselves. She believes in simple but fine baking, something her old unit Creative Baking was known for. "I could never find a decent cupcake or a vanilla sponge anywhere in the city and that's what I liked to teach in my cooking classes." In her classes, she not only taught people how to make the perfect chocolate cake with frosting, but also made them clean up and organise the kitchen. Her most popular course was the cooking workshop for children where at the end of the five-day course, they would set the table and even cook a meal for their mothers. Mehnaz adds, "I would like to continue with my classes and to be very optimistic, I hope to recommence my cooking classes from next month onwards." Today, Creative Baking has merged with Labonel, a name to reckon with for its rich desserts and Mehnaz looks forward to continue tempting the local gourmet.

In the little free time she has, Mehnaz tries to keep away her two sons Ahmed, 12, and Mohammed, six, who are constantly running in and out of the kitchen, asking for cake, chocolate or cookies that their mother bakes. "With them around, you come to know what a bad cake day actually is!" she quips.

Her menu includes old favourites like Death by Chocolate and Walnut Rum Torte, as well as new inclusions like a Berry Crumble Tart, and baked cheesecakes. Some ingredients and pans are even imported. Only six weeks old, the patisserie is run like clockwork cause, "Even if the customer does not come on time, you have to make sure that you are ready and waiting." All this, she says, wouldn't be possible without her trained staff. If you're in Banjara Hills and the delicious aroma of freshly baked cakes and pies wafts by, you know you are at the right place - at Mehanz's Labonel! Contact her on 23358257.

RENUKA VIJAY KUMAR

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