Sometimes smooth sailing and sometimes an absolute rollercoaster — Ode To Gaia’s half-decade in the baking business has been unpredictable, thrilling, scary at times, and certainly one hell of a good story. Our beginnings were humble and uncertain, starting off as a home business built by a single pair of hands. Our chef-founder Naimita Jagasia’s patisserie experiment began as an attempt to turn her passion into a profession and see if it was possible to think of plant-based pastry, in newer, more imaginative terms. Bake now, ask questions later was the mantra that guided us then, and continues to show us the way, even today. As the orders kept pouring in, our footprint grew, and so did the team.
Whisks and oven mitts in hand, we collected some of India’s brightest, most passionate pastry minds, and whipped them into a team that we’re now super proud of. True that their collective efforts and visions have helped us blossom into the brand that we are today, but their individual growths, as craftspeople, leaders and executives, has been especially heartwarming to watch. For instance, our commis chef, who started off as a domestic help, has eventually evolved into taking on key roles within the kitchen. There’s also our Chief Of Staff, who started their journey at Ode to Gaia in a client servicing role, but with time, became a seminal part of the team’s backbone. And through it all, we knew this — we were not just investing in the future of baking, but in the future of our team members as well.
This meant remaining inclusive, fair, and decidedly employee-first with our consciously women-led teams, prioritising the human elements of work culture; from Valentine’s Day mystery messages to chaat parties and summer breaks, we celebrate our shared camaraderie and love just as much as our culinary creations. This diverse, passionate, and growing crew of 30-odd chefs, admin staff, content creators and delivery riders work standard hours, explore their creative and personal freedoms, and carry each others’ backs through the unique and exciting challenges we face each day. Our vendors and packaging partners are part of this shared vision too, as we focus on building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships with fair-trade and eco-conscious providers, bottom-line be damned.
Together, they have been hugely responsible for taking Ode To Gaia from a single kitchen to a business based out of a garage to the near 2,000 sq. ft commercial bakery that has become our sanctuary today. And for that, we are eternally grateful.
