Eat: Photoessay

Kainaz Messman, the owner of Theobroma, is the young woman who has a cult following in Mumbai, where, in a little over a decade, her brownies have achieved iconic status. “Brownies are our best selling items because they make the perfect gift and we are a sweet gifting nation.”

Oh yes, Theobroma. What does it mean, we hear you asking. (Don't worry, we had to google it too). It’s the name of a plant, derived from the Greek words theos, meaning "god," and broma, meaning "food”. Roughly translated it means "food of the gods." And, of course, Theobroma Cacao is used for making chocolate. Food of the gods, indeed.

When asked about what made her the chef she is today, Kainaz invariably tals about her childhood, growing up in a food-obsessed family. “I grew up in a sweet smelling house, always surrounded by chocolate”

The journey that has brought Kainaz Messman to Theobroma started in the south of France, when she was 16 and on an exchange programme. “One day, I went to a pastry shop and ate a strawberry tart, baked French style with custard. As soon as I bit into it, I knew this is what I had to do.”

In the words of Kainaz “Brownies are the cornerstone of our business” and they are Theobroma’s signature dish. “We take our brownies seriously, yet we continue to have fun with it.“

Kainaz credits her love of baking to growing up in a family obsessed with food, where her mother supplied cakes from home. Theobroma started as a family business, and 12 years on, the patisserie is still run by the very hands-on Messman family. Kainaz’s mother, Kamal, is head of retail, father Farokh takes care of business development and her sister Tina Wykes, plans the business strategy for Theobroma.

“I serve smiles on a plate and I spread happiness. I don’t always get things right but I work very hard to make my customers happy. I try to learn along the way, apologies for my mistakes and make things right. “

Today, it’s hard to believe that there could have been doubts at the start of this journey, but as Kainaz outs it “With a hope and a prayer I opened my own little pastry shop, really not knowing what to expect, worrying about filling the four small tables we had ordered.”