Pooja Dhingra

Pooja Dhingra (born 1986) is an Indian pastry chef and businesswoman. She opened India's first macaron store and is the owner of bakery chain Le15 Patisserie that specialises in macarons and a host of French desserts.[1]

Pooja Dhingra
Chef Pooja Dhingra at the Le15 Central Kitchen
Born1986 (age 36–37)
Mumbai, India
EducationCésar Ritz College
Le Cordon Bleu
Culinary career
Cooking styleFrench
Current restaurant(s)
  • Le15 Patisserie
Websitele15.com

Biography

Dhingra was born into a family interested in gastronomy. Both her father and her brother Vaarun Dhingra are restaurant owners. When still young, Dhingra learnt the art of baking from her aunt.[2] She initially enrolled at a law school in Mumbai before quitting in 2004, switching careers to attend a hospitality and management course at the César Ritz school in Le Bouveret, Switzerland.[2] Three years later, she began training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.[1][3] There she came across her first macaron at one of Pierre Hermé's patisseries.[4] After completing her course, Dhingra returned to Mumbai and opened her first store in March 2010 with the single goal of creating Parisian styled culinary experiences in India.[5] In 2016, Dhingra expanded her enterprise, opening a new location called Le15 Café in South Mumbai. While signature desserts named after French women will be featured, the cafe's menu includes simple, savoury food main course dishes.[6]

When she opened her Mumbai business in 2010, she had a staff of only two. By October 2014, she had as many as 42. Her ambition is to open establishments throughout India.[2]

She has been featured in national dailies and is a regular in fashion and lifestyle glossies not just for her abilities in the kitchen, but also as a dynamic businesswoman and inspiration to women - she was selected by Forbes India for their ‘30 Under 30’ achievers list for 2014 and the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list.

She has published two books, a best seller (in India) on baking.[1] and The Wholesome Kitchen

She joined Chef Vikas Khanna and Chef Ranveer Brar as a judge of MasterChef India (Hindi season 8) airing on Sony Entertainment Television. [7]

Bibliography
  • The Big Book of Treats. Penguin Books India. 2014. ISBN 978-0143422686.

References
  1. Pandya, Kinjal (15 February 2015). "India's 'macaron queen'". BBC News. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  2. Pirolt, Sabine (30 October 2014). "La femme qui régale tout Bollywood" (PDF) (in French). L'Hebdo: Cesar Ritz Colleges. p. 61. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  3. Sharma, Milan (11 July 2011). "Macaroons make Pooja Dhingra's cash register ring". The Economic Times. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. K., Bhumika (19 June 2014). "Miss Macaron". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  5. Chanda, Kathakali (19 February 2014). "Pooja Dhingra: Bringing Macarons to Mumbai". Forbes India. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  6. Vij, Gauri (11 February 2016). "Where sweet and savoury meet". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  7. "'MasterChef India': Pooja Dhingra joins Vikas, Ranveer as judge in new season". India Today.
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