The ‘Willy Wonkas’ of Hyderabad

Neredmet: Breathing life into ancient Christmas flavors, Caroline Mary Vaz, a resident of Defence Colony here bakes nearly 500 cakes every Christmas on requests from people across the world. Supported by her husband, Anthony Peter Vaz and 23-year-old son, Arnold Marian Vaz, Caroline ensures that no one misses out on the festive spirit due to their busy lives.

Believing it to be a spiritual ritual performed with devotion, piety, and religious fervor, the Vaz household is preoccupied with baking activities four to five months prior to the festive season as they explain that the longer a cake is left to mature, the better its taste gets.

From delicious sponge cakes to nutritious fruitcakes to the most exotic rum and raisin options, Caroline makes sure that she and her family add an ingredient of happiness while their bake.

"I grew fond of baking only after I got married. My husband was the one who introduced me to the art and it was for him that I first baked. Now for the past 35 years, we relish our homemade cakes every Christmas and prefer it to be a family affair. So, even after we began to bake cakes for others, we decided to do it by ourselves instead of hiring helpers," shares Caroline.

Charging a reasonable price of Rs 600 to 2,800 depending on the requirements, the Vaz family bakes cakes weighing a total of 250kg to 300kg every year. The sales of these special cakes have seen a drastic increase in the past seven years, but the family manages to squeeze in at least 8 to 10 hours each day in preparing them despite their busy schedule.

Apart from the multitude of cakes, the family is also known for the confectionery they make, which comprise of chocolates that are deliciously themed, centre filled, soft and flavoured, and filled with rum and raisin.

Professionally a school teacher, Caroline explained that unlike the cakes available in the market for commercial purposes, her family bakes only to retain old flavours and pass on pure Christmas traditions to the future generations. Teasing that she wouldn't reveal the “secret ingredient”, Caroline revealed that the recipe is passed on from her husband's grandmother to his mother from where they learned it.

"This Christmas I have a long list for Santa Claus. I hope we are bestowed with cheer, true friends, tonnes of smiles and all those immeasurable things in life that make us a better human being," she smiles.

By Maitreyi Tadepalli