Farha Faris is the owner of the online bakery Fine Bakes that specialises in custom-made goodies for any occasion. Based in Kawdana Broadway, Dehiwala, it has an option for pick-up as well as delivery. Her products vary from a range of baked goods like cakes, brownies, desserts, and also savoury items.
Brunch sat down with Faris for a chat on her baking journey. When asked what made her think that baking was the best career choice for her, she said that initially she never viewed it as a profession, but as a hobby. As far as her wide range of interests is concerned, she has always admired cooking. Since she was little, she had always had the desire to try something new, so she decided to bake a cake.
She would always be excited for family functions like birthdays and Eid, so she could put her skills to use and whip up some delicious goodies for the family to enjoy, Faris shared. Over the years, she honed her cooking skills by watching tutorials and video clips on YouTube, she said, adding that Pinterest also inspired her creativity and helped her make her products more eye-catching and aesthetic. After all, one does eat with their eyes first.
Faris manages her online bakery all by herself, so handling and dispatching multiple orders back to back a day is a challenge she has to overcome on a daily basis. As the food industry is another badly impacted industry due to the ongoing pandemic, we asked her how she managed to keep up. “I’m thankful to my family for the endless support, for the customers who repeatedly trust me with orders, and for my social media followers and well-wishers,” she said, adding that without them, she wouldn’t have got so far in her journey.
She expressed that contrary to our belief, the pandemic was one of her busiest seasons, guessing that when people are stuck at home, they are more likely to feel the need to indulge in something sweet. “I got quite a lot of orders during the pandemic through my social media platforms. Right now, I’m trying to limit my orders to ensure safety and maintain quality at the same time.” 
Baking may not be the most physically demanding job in the world, but it is really hard to stir things constantly, ice cakes and cupcakes over and over again. Considering the fact that Faris constantly goes through these motions day in and day out, she deserves recognition for her hard work, especially being a one-woman show.
A unique factor of Fine Bakes is their aspect of personalisation. Faris explained that her items can be customised based on any occasion and noted her brownies as her best-selling product. She also highlighted that using the right ingredients makes the finest food, hence the name Fine Bakes. She loves challenges and she is all about taking things to the next level.
Faris recalled her most challenging project. Since she offers customised options, we asked her exactly what was her most challenging creation up to date, to which she said that it was a fondant-covered cake she made for an engagement ceremony back in 2019. “Although it was a challenge to make, it came out really well structured, and I was told that it was delicious,” she said. She told us that she doesn’t particularly have a favourite product to make, but she loves making a variety of cakes, desserts, sweets, cookies, and savouries.
Faris has big dreams for her future: She aims to become a leading home baker in Sri Lanka. She plans to introduce more items to her menu, after the pandemic settles down and has more time on her hands to work on perfecting the new range of products.
IG: @finebakes