There are cakes, and then there are Mélange cakes.
Dubai-based small-batch bakery specialising in gourmet desserts and bespoke cakes is your go-to for unique sweet treats for any occasion.
Founder and CEO, Nadia Parekh, came into the world of bakery via the route of being a clinical psychologist. She went on to train at Le Cordon Bleu London before working in pastry kitchens in London and Dubai. After plenty of sweet experience, she decided to treat Dubai resident to beautifully decorated desserts that look too good to eat.
What was your favourite subject at school?
Culinary and Psychology were definite favourites. Which then lead to me pursuing a career in clinical psychology.
What was your first job?
Ironically it was completely unrelated to food. I worked in a research lab at Douglas Hospital in Montreal.
What inspired you to launch Mélange?
I wanted to exercise my creativity more. I started feeling bored at work like a machine in the kitchen doing the same production every day. It didn’t excite me anymore. I always wanted to start my own brand with my own products and vision. It was always a dream so I just took the plunge
What are the key elements of your role?
Being the boss means you have to find a way to motivate yourself! No one will help you do this. You also have to motivate your team and oversee all aspects of the business, make quick decisions and hope to god they’re the right ones.
I enjoy Innovation and product development. It’s always a challenge to come up with new recipes because you’re restricted by so many things – the product must be easy to transport, fit inside our retail boxes, have a decent shelflife, not be too temperature sensitive, yet incredibly delicious and cheat-worthy.
In a startup, organisation is crucial as there is no wiggle room or budget for errors. It’s pivotal to have eyes on all aspects of the business and as a growing company setting up systems and procedures from scratch and implementing them requires strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
Talk us through your daily routine.
It always starts with a good cup of coffee and emails – mostly to clients with bespoke cake orders finalizing their designs and keeping social media up to date. Then the phone calls start with my team as I oversee production and logistics for our online platform with our operations manager. The odd meeting here and there with suppliers or B2B clients. But once I get into that kitchen nothing else seems to exist. I plug in my music and just focus – I’m there for hours at a stretch. What I love about my job is every day is different. Different cakes, different places to go, and of course different challenges to overcome.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
Hard work and passion will always pay off. You have to persevere through the rough days because they are present in abundance. It’s all about looking at them in a positive light and taking them as lessons learned.
Which fashion brands can we find in your work wardrobe?
To be honest you’ll mostly find me in chef jackets and jeans. I’m definitely a casual jeans and black T-shirt kind of girl but I am obsessed with shoes – especially my royal blue Manolo Blahnik’s. And you’ll never find me without my favourite slingback Bottega Veneta bag.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
“You cannot do everything on your own.” You can’t be good at everything. Balance your weaknesses and ask for help because you’re only as strong as your team.
And what is the worst?
“Growth is the most important measure of success.” Sometimes staying consistent and focusing on foundational efforts and brand value, can be more important than growth. Strategy will always change depending on what stage your business is at.
What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
I’ve always had control issues when it comes to work. That was a big challenge to overcome and change my mindset. Being a one-woman show for so long I had to teach myself how to work with others. Trusting others with the company and learning how to delegate. Maintaining quality control has been another struggle as well, coming up with a system to make sure every product that leaves the kitchen is consistently good every time.
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