"The foundation of this bakery business was laid by my father Minoo in 1965 using an indigenous oven made of mud, bricks and red sand,” Khoremand Siganporia stated in interviews with Parsiana in early July 2021. He was referring to Cake Bank, the cake specialty shop located in Hyderabad’s Himayatnagar. "In the early days manufacturing was done without any modern machinery…with the evolution of technology, we introduced new machines. Later, diesel, gas and electric ovens, and other automated and semiautomatic machinery were introduced.”
On offer are over 60 flavors, including fresh seasonal mixed fruit, custard apple and strawberries. "We have introduced cakes inspired by Indian sweets — rasmalai, kesar almond pista, almond and motichur ladoo, and even baklava-inspired,” says the self-taught businessman. Their newly-introduced Indian sweet cake box is extremely popular, as is the range of biscuits like batasas and nankhatais not easily available in Hyderabad. Other popular items are cashewnut, choco-cashew, Osmania and salted biscuits, wine drops, caramel custard and dry fruit pudding. "Everyone’s favorites throughout the year are our fresh fruit products,” Khoremand stated. "We have 12 to 15 workers. Earlier we did have a master baker of the old style making the cakes. But now they work according to our instructions.”
Top: Khoremand Siganporia;
clockwise from second row, Farida and Minoo Siganporia;
samples of Cake Bank’s offerings; view of the store
The 36-year-old fondly remembered childhood visits to the bakery to observe the baking process. "It was pure practical knowledge. I had no hotel management background,” stated the commerce graduate from Wesley Degree College, Secunderabad. "Before getting into my father’s business, my first job was as a cashier in a foreign exchange company in Kuwait where I worked for a little over a year… Then I came back to Hyderabad and joined Jet Airways as a ground executive at (Hyderabad’s) Begumpet (International Airport)… I always wanted to become a commercial pilot since I was a child.” Life had other plans.
"My family was not in a very sound financial condition for a few years, so my father had to lease out Cake Bank to others to run for a period of nine years. One day during my break at the Airport, I called dad and informed him that I was going to resign and take over Cake Bank. He was very excited and happy to hear that… I got him back to where he belongs.” Khoremand remembers the date well, "It was August 8, 2008 when I took over Cake Bank and for the next three years I didn’t attend many weddings, navjote functions… Just gave all my time to my work at Cake Bank. Both my parents Minoo and Farida (née Ichhaporia) have been extremely supportive and helpful. My mother and aunt Aban Ichhaporia also help us during the festive season.
"I absorbed a lot of knowledge from my father who was in this field over five decades. He had built a strong foundation for the business, but luck was not on his side…When I decided to take over and bring him back into business again, it wasn’t easy at all. It took a good five to six years for Hyderabad to know and appreciate what Cake Bank offers to its customers…We are located inside a building; it’s not positioned on the main road as most bakeries are.”
During the early days of the lockdown, Cake Bank was affected by the migration of employees to their hometowns. "Business is picking up again… Earlier everyone who had to stay at home was cooking, baking and eating home-made food… On some days we barely had five or six customers coming in. But now with offices, shops and schools opening, customers are trickling in but the pre-Covid normal is yet to be achieved.
"My upbringing is typically Parsi…. I love Parsi dishes like dhansak, kebab, machhi no patio and kolmi no patio,” stated Khoremand. "I also like playing cricket and have been with our Zoroastrian Club cricket team since many years.” He enjoys meeting Zoroastrians when he goes with the Club team to play cricket in Bombay, Surat, Navsari, Nagpur and Calcutta. His father too "had great passion for cricket… but due to family responsibilities, he could not pursue great heights… He has played with many stalwarts of the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy team who also later represented India.” The senior Siganporia now coaches youngsters at the Zoroastrian Club. Beyniaz Edulji