Pour some SUCREE on me!

Last year, on my son’s first birthday, I spent almost a week scouring Cochin for someone who could make me a delicious batch of fudge. I made three dozen calls with zilch results! Even the most popular bakeries and cafes would not conjure me up some salted caramel fudge! And then, luck struck and I came across the name SUCREE during my search; and wouldn’t you know it, fudge was listed as one of their products! One year and that one call later, it’s safe to say that TINA ROY, the mastermind behind Sucree has become my most favourite baker (and friend!). Yes, she made a whole batch of delicious fudge and she also baked my son’s first birthday cake. From then on there is no denying that Tina has become a sort of unofficial in house baker to whom I run to for goodies no matter what the occasion.

Tina Roy

From home baker to a dessert boutique owner, Tina and Sucree have come a long way. Just a little over two years old, Sucree is home to premium handcrafted desserts. Cakes, pies, roulades, slices, bars, puddings and tarts…there is no baking challenge too big for Tina. What really sets Tina apart is how open she is to experimenting with baking techniques, products and flavours. See, I am one of those OCD ridden customers, who keeps messaging and calling with ideas and suggestions and changes…yeah…it might just get a tad annoying. But Tina has always stayed her charming self, catering to all my doubts, encouraging my ideas and baking up a storm for every new product I wanted to try! This lady has always ensured customer delight!

We had a little chit chat outlining the journey Tina’s had as a baker and the rapid progress that Sucree as a brand has had over the past two years.

LSF: When did you first fall in love with baking?

TINA: Baking has always been my passion. I used to bake as a child. My mother and grandmother are both excellent bakers. It’s not just baking that I am in love with. Even getting into the kitchen to cook a meal is an equally passionate affair. Let’s say it’s therapeutic. When I step into the kitchen, it’s magic! Creating edible delights from scratch has always been my first love.

LSF: Could you outline Sucree’s success story for us?

TINA: Sucree started as a small baking business set up at home from there on we have been outsourcing with several well-known restaurants and cafes, such as District 7, Blend!t and Walk in, we have been associated with big events and now, we have our very own dessert boutique. It has come a long way from baking a dessert a week to baking five or six times a day!

LSF: Cochin has almost reached saturation point what with the umpteen number of home bakers and their signature styles. How differently do you position Sucree from your competitors?

TINA: The quality of my products sets me apart I feel. I use premium, pure ingredients with no taste enhancers or artificial flavours. I mean, cook for my family and friends and it’s the same amount of love that goes into baking for my customer.

LSF: What are the challenges you face as a baker? 

TINA: Juggling time I think. You have to literally become a warrior in the kitchen! Baking up orders in a short time span takes a lot of time and effort. You need to have a precise idea about what you do. You can’t just chuck in a little bit of baking powder or cocoa; everything goes by accurate measurements. Having said that, I also have to add that I am a cook who cooks without a recipe, so that calls for a lot of hard work from my end.

LSF: What are the most important skills that a baker needs to possess?

TINA: Three skills are most important in my opinion: Patience, Neatness and a willingness to learn. I think half my time is spent in cleaning and arranging my trays and boxes of ingredients. Also, it is all about experimentation. You’ll never know if it works for you or not unless you try it. 

LSF: Who has inspired you the most?

TINA: My baking inspiration has been my mom.

LSF: And who has always been your number 1 support?

TINA: I have two No.1 supporters! My husband and my mother in law. My husband has always been my silent pillar of support and hats off to him for just letting me do my thing! My mother in law and I are like yin and yang! We make a perfect pair!

LSF: What is your understanding of Cochin’s changing palette?

TINA: I believe Cochin is slowly opening up to new cuisines and flavours. There is also a need for homemade goodness. I had this customer come up to me and say “Thank you for bringing some real good food” To me, this surely means a warm, home cooked feel. 

LSF: What is your biggest dream for Sucree?

TINA: This store is possibly my dream come true. Baby steps post this. Once we are established, expansion would be the next dream.

Sucree is located in The Centre Square Mall on M.G.Road. Just turn around the corner of the escalator on the 2^nd floor and you see a cute little dessert boutique with a rather inviting display! The glass case played host to a range of chocolate, caramel and fruit based delights so attuned to my taste, it felt like I had found my 

personal happy sweet tooth place! The price range was surprising affordable for such luscious goodies! Some of the treats on display were the all famous New York Cheesecake (also in a strawberry variant), double chocolate mousse, Mississippi Mud pie, Apple tartlets, Tiramisu slices, Devil’s food cake with fudge, blueberry muffins, milk and dark chocolate fudge, cream cheese and peanut butter brownies, lemon tarts, toffee cake and caramel bars to name a miniscule few! Everything had a wonderful rustic charm with a definite homemade feel on the taste buds.

I packed a selection of sweet stuff for take away but I couldn’t stop myself from tasting the scrumptious looking caramel bar. Oh my god! It was utter heaven! The caramel bar was a tri layer of ecstasy! The bottom layer was a firm yet moist short crust pastry bedecked with buttery goodness, the second layer was a glorious mix of thick chocolate ganache laced with sweet and slighty chewy 

caramel (which was perfectly cooked, I must add). The crown placed delicately atop this royal dessert was a beautifully tempered layer of dark chocolate. The first bite was a perfect medley of salty and sweet and oh the snap of that chocolate layer! It was easily my favourite dessert out of the lot!

The other must mentions available at the Sucree store are: The New York Cheesecake (smooth and creamy with a buttery graham cracker crust), coffee biscuit roll up (the sweet seduction of coffee paired with a rich biscuit base and buttercream), lemon tart (it may have been a little tangy for some but I really adore lemon curd and it went perfectly well with the soft short crust base) and finally devil’s food cake with fudge (rich, dense moist and so chocolatey with thick layers of fudge and a pretty sprinkle of edible gold glitter). With so many more desserts to taste, I am definitely going back for a second visit…or a third…or a…well, you get the drift!

All in all folks, the Sucree-Dessert boutique is certainly one to visit for all those who love themselves some sweet stuff and for those who don’t, try it, you might just become converts! All the best Tina!