Best of Weekender: An iconic Delhi Bakery, an eco-friendly detergent, the truth about supplements, and more

What’s Sunday without some baked treats?

Those who grew up in and around Defence Colony in the heart of Delhi favoured Defence Bakery above all others. Having opened in 1962, this small business has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 60 years, with three outlets spread across Delhi-NCR, and a sub-brand serving Italian cuisine called Alma Bakery and Café in Noida.

“Defence Bakery is a neighbourhood bakery of choice, where you can sample an international palate refined by master chefs using local ingredients to enhance its value pricing. Defence Bakery’s foundation rests on innovation, skilled and diligent employees, and a commitment to responsible growth and development for the wellbeing of the community.

"We truly believe this humble approach has led to our growth and in 2022, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of our #gloriousjourney,” share Gaurav and Tushar Dhingra, third-generation proprietors and directors of the brand in a chat with YSWeekender.

Sunday’s also a day for catching up with routine chores like laundry. But what if that could be part of your to-do eco-friendly list? How?

Delhi-based entrepreneur Divya Arora awoke to the idea of sustainable, eco-friendly products and increased denouncement of harmful chemicals and unethical practices like animal-testing when she was a student in London, doing her own laundry for the first time. But where were the products?

Her experience led her to launch her laundry detergent brand Kikgerm in 2020.

“I’m asked this question a lot - why laundry detergent? The truth is I’m obsessed with clean laundry. While studying in London, I started doing my own laundry and experimenting with various options available in the market. Some made my clothes softer than others, some were better smelling than others, some took the stains out better but were laden with harmful chemicals - there was never a product that gave me everything I needed," Divya says.

On to some more sweet treats like cakes, pastries, and macarons. And a tete-a-tete with Pooja Dhingra, whose Instagram profile describes her as “Macaron lady. Author. Entrepreneur”, who is “always learning something new”.

The founder of the Le15 brand of patisseries and packaged foods, which she launched in Mumbai in 2010, is renowned for her skills as a baker and her entrepreneurial journey. And with a whopping 7.1 million followers on Instagram, she’s always in the news.

While speaking about her remarkable journey, Pooja says her patisserie, Le15, turned 12 years old very recently, adding that the pandemic has been “quite challenging and enlightening at the same time”.

From food, we take a U-turn to fashion.

Just as people await nature’s changing seasons, fashionistas await the arrival of seasonal fashion weeks. However, none of its previous iterations was as highly anticipated as was the recently concluded FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week 2022, which took place in March at Delhi’s Dhyanchand National Stadium.

Why, you ask? It was the first physical fashion week after two years of digital showcases. It was also the first time in 17 years that former allies turned bitter enemies – the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and beauty behemoth Lakme – put aside their differences and reclaimed the stage for a single fashion week to represent designers across the country.

With 42 shows spread across six days, a bevy of gorgeous models, numerous Bollywood stars, and a truckload of social media influencers present in all their glory, both on and off the ramp; the FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week 2022 was memorable for many reasons.

And last, but definitely not the least, let’s talk about health and wellness.

Dietary supplements are now a multibillion-dollar industry worldwide. In India alone, there have recently been several brands pushing supplements on people through generic recommendations on social media.

The problem with this is that supplement brands are pushing their products with every possible connection to your health, as they are looking for scale of business. It is simply impossible to do justice to individuals by breaking down on what is required into generic recommendations.

Secondly, they do not look at the interactions between your medication and other supplements. This can cause dangerous impact, from where many individuals are caught in a downward spiral of health.

Is this worth it? The other aspect which concerns me terribly is that health professional pushing specific brands on clients based on their affiliate income versus actual clinical results.

What should we know about supplements in general?