Baking from Andheri to Cheshire

A vote of confidence a push in the right direction or just insane courage can make all the difference in taking a step towards turning a passion into a business Stephanie Peters founder of and baker at Pastry Pedaleur had all three The first of which came in 2012 when a colleague pushed money into Petersrsquo hand for a baked goods order after eating the bakerrsquos weekend exploits in the kitchen Monday mornings were a treat at the magazine Peters worked at thanks to her oven experiments The Mumbaiborn former advertising and media professional took this as a sign and over time a side hustle turned into a home businessPeters on the sets of Aldirsquos Next Big Thing where she made spiced apple turnovers Goan chorizo pithiviers and Kashmiri saffron chai canelesLater in 2015 moving to Cheshire England as a newlywed and leaving behind a small enterprise didnrsquot seem much of a hiccup in her journey but offered new opportunities Itrsquos not every day that the chance to work at a Michelinstar restaurant presents itself and when Peters landed a job at The Chester Grosvenor she grabbed it and kept pedaling ahead Working in some of Chesterrsquos best pastry kitchens and as a stagiaire in highend bakeries in London trained the baker in the tricks of the trade as well as classic French cookingPistachio custard and rhubarb compote cruffinsWhile hard work and the offerings of onersquos service might be the deciding factor that makes or breaks a business that crucial moment of courage right at the beginning cannot be overlooked in entrepreneurial stories even with all the passion and skill one may possess In November 2020 in the midst of the pandemic Peters shares that it was time to give in to that voice in her head and open a space of her own The Pastry Pedaleur was born making its home at Chester Market where Peters became the first to introduce and bake the cruffin in the city But she didnrsquot stop there Keen to offer her customers something unique and realising the gap in the market for artisan handcrafted pastries as well as fusion bakes Pastry Pedaleur put innovative flavours like Goan chorizo pithiviers chaispiced caneles mango kulfi macarons and Goan jaggery and cardamom financiers on its shelves a harmonious marriage of Petersrsquo Indian heritage and love for French cooking It even caught the attention of the French consul general in the North West A Auclair who noted the bakerrsquos significant contribution to the quality of living of the sizeable French community in ChesterAlphonso mango Victoria sponge cakeRecently Peters was placed second on the UKbased television show Aldirsquos Next Big Thing which invites amateur British food suppliers to compete for a chance to stock their winning product in all of Aldirsquos supermarkets for a year The episode was aired on October 27 viewers can catch the teaser on the bakerrsquos websiteEarlier this week Pastry Pedaleurrsquos permanent spot in New Chester Market opened on November 8 Apart from a display case full of gourmet and handcrafted palmiers kouign amann madeleines galette des rois and chaussons aux pommes a foreversmiling and warm baker as many customer testimonials note indeed speaks of the health of a bakery At the centre of this journey from Mumbai to Chester to television is a love for a flaky crumbly sweet baked goods Peters shares ldquoIt is the alchemy of simple ingredients coming together to create something magical that still always has me hooked till today I get mesmerised and obsessed It is my true passionrdquo Apart from encouragement passion and hard work is there also a divine role or something bigger than ourselves and goals that comes into play to lead us to our destiny Well it wonrsquot hurt to note that her greatgrandfather Papa Henrique was a baker to the Maharajah of Peshawar Bakingrsquos in her blood we guessLog on to pastrypedaleurcouk