César Ritz Colleges Alumni Featured in Switzerland’s L’HEBDO Magazine

César Ritz Colleges Alumni, Pooja Dhingra was featured as the Keynote Speaker during the recent Swiss Education Group hosted International Recruitment Forum. Her dynamic entrepreneurial success story caught the attention of international and local news sources including the Swiss weekly magazine, L’Hebdo. Her story is included below.

Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Ms Dhingra moved to Switzerland at the age of 17 to attend César Ritz Colleges. Seeing the kitchen as a source of inspiration and possibility she knew that this is what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. After graduation, she moved to France and received her diploma in French Pastry from Le Cordon Bleu Paris.

Living in the 15th Arrondissement, it was here she discovered and fell in love with the Macaron, “I remember the day I ate my first macaron with as much clarity and nostalgia as my graduation day”. Inspired by the rush of flavours and striking form, she moved back to India intent on perfecting the recipe in her own kitchen. More than 60 failed recipes and 4 months later, this is what she did!

Taking her Swiss education and experiences from Paris’ 15th Arrondissement with her, she jumped head first into her first entrepreneurial pursuit opening up the successful Le15-Patisserie in Mumbai, India and shortly after a cooking school called Studio 15. Last March she launched her first recipe book, The Big Book of Treats, which is resting comfortably at the #1 spot on Amazon India’s Website in the Lifestyle section. And with no rest in sight, she is en route to open 5 more pastry shops across India in 2015 and is currently writing her second recipe book.

Read the article below to learn more about Pooja’s family and their obsession with food, her innovative marketing strategy on a budget (free macarons!) and the challenges she faces as a female entrepreneur in India.