Flour Power

Saria Tasneem, with her passion has tackled life like cookie-dough

Every woman I come across is a symbol of empowerment in her own way, contributing to the smallest of things for the largest of effects. It's hard to decide which are the fittest women to celebrate womanhood, because every woman celebrates her power even through her silent and unseen struggles. This week, I have a woman with a story as admirable as the delicacies she bakes with love.
Saria Tasneem Ahmed is the founder and the sole baker, marketer, designer, organizer, manager, artist and everything of the popular and much loved patisserie endeavor, The Flourist. I doubt there are many papers in Dhaka that haven't talked about her lovely produce. The Flourist sells heart-wrenchingly beautiful and delicious pastry goods, ranging from mini cupcakes to macaroons, and The Daily Star has already talked about her excellent work before. But here, we want you to know the journey and decisions that made her an advertising executive-turned- hip pastry chef.
Saria studied Journalism at the University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh, but found herself working in the advertising sector as a copywriter ever since her college days instead. Her advertising career was built on her work with Dhansiri, Madonna and then finally ADCOMM.  Even though her heart always lay on arts, she never got the opportunity to pursue it for a college education due to financial constraints. She studied journalism because “it interested and challenged” her. She also credited her mother for that decision as we talked, saying, “My mother, a headstrong lawyer, writer and journalist, inspired me to write and I took up Journalism instead.”
But her interest in culinary sparked up only when she was considering the prospect of pursuing further education.
“A couple of years later I decided to pursue my Masters in Advertising and while applying to various places, I realized I wanted to do something entirely different with my life. And I was at a point where I could actually do that. So I looked up culinary schools instead and finally plucked up the courage to apply to Le Cordon Bleu's campus in London; the same school as Julia Child, except she attended the campus in Paris.
I graduated with my Diploma in Patisserie and my training in Basic Culinary in Oct '12.”
She returned to Dhaka after her graduation and found herself building The Flourist, encouraged by the growing support and enthusiasm from people who absolutely loved her work. And of her experience so far, she says that Dhaka has offered a great market for her and her job in patisserie did find acceptance and acknowledgment here even though initially, her decision to pursue culinary school wasn't exactly met with much enthusiasm.
“There is gaping hole in Dhaka's food culture and there is room for anyone who can provide great food in this vibrant city. If you can provide good food in the remotest part of Dhaka, it will still work. Good food is the only secret in this business.”
The journey wasn't easy, of course. She has had to handle every aspect of her business with almost no capital to back her, from managing to marketing and even designing her own website
Now as a lone ranger in her mission to satisfy sweet teeth all over Dhaka, she is more than happy with her job and small, private business. Her training in Le Cordon Bleu gave her the chance to work in big kitchens of renowned restaurants too, and she recognizes that it gave her perspective, but right now, she wants 'The Flourist' to grow with each new bend and turn on a road that she never really planned on.
She followed her love of food into doing something that is more than just a career now. It is something that she's completely passionate about, and she definitely has no qualms about her experience so far. With immense support from her husband, who she says has been with her every step of the way, she is now conquering parties, festivals and orders with passion and hard work.
I believe that, Saria has taken woman's societal role and turned into a passionate career instead, showing the different colors of the mundane everyday activities that we longer find amusing.

Words: Maliha Mohsin
Photo Credit: Mahi Anjum Lisa