Tempting treats galore

A passion for baking and a shared love for desserts inspired two childhood friends to make life in Bahrain a little sweeter.

Indians Valentina Santiago and Rupa Menon created their pastries brand Deliciosa (which means ‘delicious’ in Spanish) after friends and family who had sampled their cupcakes recommended they share their culinary skills with the wider community.

Valentina, 31, from Adliya, said: “Our friends heard about Deliciosa and started placing orders with us mainly because they wanted to try out our homemade creations.”

As the orders increased, Rupa suggested creating a Facebook page to display pictures of their cupcakes. Valentina, a secretary by profession, said: “The Facebook page was initially just to showcase our talents to our friends and to give us a sense of accomplishment.”

However, word of their tasty treats soon spread and the duo were inundated with orders from complete strangers.

Unfortunately, a few months ago Rupa left the island to start a new life in Singapore with her husband.

Since Valentina had so much fun with the project she decided to continue alone and if orders start stacking up she has a number of friends who are willing to step in to help.
 
She said: “It isn’t easy making whatever I have created all by myself as I have to juggle work as well. I plan my week according to the orders.”

Valentina explained that, on average, she takes up to 20 minutes to bake a batch of cupcakes depending on the recipe and the decorations required.

Her next venture was preparing elaborate fondant cakes after receiving a special request from a friend for her son’s birthday party.

Valentina said: “She asked me if I could prepare two cakes themed on BEN 10 and Tom and Jerry. I hesitated at first because I wasn’t sure if I could do it. But eventually I took the challenge and viola, I did it! I was very proud of myself especially since it was my first attempt.”

Since then Valentina has prepared several ‘character cakes’ including Teletubbies, Spongebob, Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Talkative, Hello Kitty and many more 3D cakes.

“I do a lot of research before I make anything and each cake is a new challenge for me. I give all my cakes a personal touch and each one is unique.”

Ironically, Valentina didn’t always have the same passion for baking and has only recently grown to love it. She said: “I used to hate baking as whenever I tried it I always ended up burning the cake. I had a phobia about it, but I am more confident now. 

“Baking to me is a science and an art. You have to be very precise when it comes to ingredients and your technique.”

Valentina has now overcome that fear and remains busy most weekends preparing cakes for a variety of occasions including birthdays, anniversaries and baby showers.

She hopes that with further study and research, she can turn her hobby into a full-time trade. She said: “My husband, who is an inspiration, has suggested that I pursue it as a profession.

“I love my current job and I would like to continue working until I am ready to put on the apron fulltime.”

Check out the Deliciosa page on Facebook.