Ever since she was a girl, Devi Mulai loved eating desserts and she drew as much delight from making them. She never intended it, but today she is operating Dessert Delights and attracting customers from all across the coastland in Guyana.
“I was born and raised in a single-parent home and I am an only child,” Mulai told Stabroek Weekend “Growing up I was always fond of baking fancy sweets. I remember collecting clips of recipes to create my own food book. In my free time, I would practice making those desserts. This practice became a hobby.”
That continued until 2013, when Mulai decided to create her very own Facebook page to advertise her work. Once she started posting photos of her desserts, there was no going back as orders for cakes started coming in. It was at this point that she decided to enrol at the Carnegie School of Home Economics to gain some experience as well as become certified. She completed courses in Basic Cake Decorating, Floral Arrangements, Elementary and Advanced Cakes and Pastries. Mulai explained that she was not keen on doing an advanced course in Cake Decorating as she was able to hone this skill while baking for family and friends.
She recalled that for her final exams at Carnegie, she was tasked with making a vegetable chocolate cake. According to the cake artist, it was nothing new since whatever they were examined on had been taught in class. As such, they were allowed to make their cakes at home, then present them at school for grading. Her teachers, she said, could not believe that the artistic, delectable looking cake before them was made by her. What her teachers did not know was that Mulai was already running a dessert business. After some back and forth, they finally believed that it was indeed her work.
Dessert Delights is run on a part-time basis, as Mulai has a full-time job. “… Juggling a full-time job and still doing my baking was never easy. People often ask me why don’t I quit my job and cater full time. Truth is I would definitely need more hands in the kitchen for this and in the world we live in it’s hard to just depend on one stable income too. I also love both my jobs,” she said.
Mulai said her mother steps in to help with prep work whenever she needs it. Her husband also supports her by helping to deliver the desserts ordered whenever he can. One of the deliveries her husband helped with was for a customer living in Linden. However, he did not have to go all the way to Linden; he and the customer agreed to meet in Georgetown while he was on his way to work.
Most of her orders are carried out during the weekend when she is at home. Owing to her busy schedule, she requires her customers place their orders at least five business days in advance. Though Dessert Delights caters more for birthdays and weddings, peak seasons are usually Christmas, Valentines and Mother’s Day and it can become demanding during these times.
Just recently, she had an order that kept her busy in the kitchen until 2 am and then she was back up at 6 am to complete it before heading off to her job. Pulling her business off while working full time is a challenge, but she always manages it.
When she first began making desserts, Mulai said she made the box cheesecake. Today, she has evolved to making s’mores cheesecakes and the Mississippi Mud Pie, which is a bit hit with customers. Currently, she is learning to make French macarons. She is still working on perfecting this skill, she said.
When ordering from Dessert Delights, customers are required to pay a 50% deposit. Mulai explained that while she has never had the experience of a customer cancelling at the last minute, she has heard of such happening to others in the catering business. This is why she thought it wise to request half the payment on an order upfront.
She looks forward to one day owning her own dessert shop and being able to hire employees.
To place orders, Mulai can be reached on Facebook at Dessert Delights or via phone at 629-1979.
