Meghana discusses her journey with eggless baking over time. She found success through learning on baking platforms like HBG and with help. She manages her baking business while also supplying to different stores. Temperature and inconsistent ingredients can cause issues but she has learned to adapt. While she misses her film career, baking has become her passion through the support of communities like HBG and opportunities like developing her chocolate cake "Theobroma" for Sandy's. Her mother now supports her baking hobby despite initial doubts.

1. Presenting…
Meghana Karthik

2. Eggless! ? Seriously?
Egg-free to me was a way of
living I'd been adapted to.
There were never eggs
cooked at home or used for
any purpose and hence the
natural tendency to bake
eggless. There have been
days I've had extreme
failures that I used to think
the lack of eggs is probably
the cause. But with time,
abundant knowledge and
help, I've grown to fill the
little gaps as effective as
possible with baking egg-
free and to be honest, it's
seriously been good!

3. HBG & Showcase?
I'd say HBG has and is helping
me a great deal! I don't think I'd
have managed to learn certain
nuances if such a helpful
platform did not exist. And I
only hope and pray such
harmony and helpful tendencies
continues and make beautiful
bakers in the future!

4. Movies to Baking?
Background in films doesn't have anything
to do with being a foodie, is it? So there
goes your answer! I am a foodie. A lover of
desserts. A chocoholic (before I started
baking this vigorously because now I only
want to have something spicy or on the
lines of caramel or dulce, NO CHOCOLATE
PLEASE! :P). And I was always interested in
baking since a child but never owned an
oven. It was not until last year that I bought
my first oven. (Which my mother calls
'Titanic' because it was a well crafted piece
of disaster and only made me SINK! In
depression... for I don't know how long.)
And then came HBG and a lot of guiding light and my life transformed on a baking
backdrop. You know those real filmy lines? Like that! So if you ask me what
prompted me to get into baking from movies, I'd say - the love for sugar. Desserts.
Anything sweet. And on the whole food! If anyone who knew me from films is
reading this, they'd know what this transformation is all about, seriously!

5. Time Management?
Well, it does get tough at times
but it's pretty much
manageable. I'm glad that I
have places to supply to on a
regular basis plus other clients
who take notice of my work
online, call me through a
reference and place orders. And
to be honest, both Harrisons
and Fresca have been very
adjusting when I've told them I
have other large orders to
complete . And to add to the list
- I now supply to Bellaria ice
cream shop too.

6. Temperature? Problems?
Temperature plays a huge role. I have a
roof top kitchen and it can get very hot
there. So there were days that the icing
wouldn't set at all and I would have only
five minutes left before the client walks in.
But fortunately I've been able to manage
well so far with the temperature!
The quality of ingredients is never
consistent. I'm not one of those who thinks
all ingredients should be shipped from
abroad etc. Chennai has woken up in a very
healthy way to sourcing ingredients, their
constant availability etc. But of course,
there are stuff that you still keep wanting
from people coming from abroad but
Chennai pretty much has all raw stock a
baker needs to have!

7. Movies?
It's been 2 years since I took a sabbatical
from films. It was only a short break for 6
months which has stretched to 2 years
now! But there were other things I
wanted to do too... like I studied for the
first half of this year. And from the
second half of 2012, my baking kick
started - so I'm not really complaining
but in all honesty, if you tap my heart
from deep within - I miss films! The
shoots, my work space, office etc!
(For the uninitiated: Meghana worked
with Gautam Menon as an assistant
director for Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya)

8. Theobroma?
If you ask me what 'made' me do Theobroma, I'd
say the 'challenge' aspect of it. Followed by the fact
that Sandy's was such an established brand with
some of the best chocolate desserts, so if my
product were to go up on their shelves, it better be
good and it better be a chocolate bomb!
Because if not for Sandy's or if not for HBG, my
'Theobroma' wouldn't have got the mileage it has
today and I'm only happy and humbled at the
storm of comments and expectations for it.
I mean, think about it - who'd care if some baker in
some corner of the city is making a 6 layer pure
chocolate cake and who'd want to wait a patient
48 hours to taste it? They might as well make
merry with other stuff around right?
So yeah, the fact remains there were other factors that helped me boost the dessert the
way I wanted to and I'd like to use this platform to thank both Sandesh, his team, HBG and
team for a lot of goodness that's followed!

9. Mom and baking?
Psst: Meghana’s mom is giving her a run for her money!
That's a sweet thing to write about here,
given that my mom doesn't know
anything about baking. There were days
she used to never understand why I buy
certain ingredients and waste them and
feed my diabetic father enough and more
sugar in the name of 'trials'.
But with time she not only grew to
understand my interest but also started to
help me with it.
She's the one who runs to buy my
supplies, takes care of my accounts. Fills
the shelves with what I've run out of. And
sometimes when I'm really bored to make
the same thing over and again , she just
pitches in and finishes the job for me!

10. Simple life. With a lot of sugar I am! 