The HT Brunch Game Show: Which Lockdown Chef will go into business?

Sana Vora, Mumbai, 29 Entrepreneur

Ever baked before lockdown? No. I began with banana bread, and then got obsessed.

Some things you’ve made: My father’s favourite fresh cream pineapple cake, wholewheat baked vada-pav, vegan ramen and focaccia garden bread. I bake four times a week and pick out recipes from Instagram and YouTube.

Mistakes made: My salted caramel sauce went wrong when I used leftover cream that had gone bad. It taught me to taste my ingredients. When I tried to make an almond-flour tart with less butter, I salvaged it by adding chocolate chips, eggs and butter, and baking it.

The biggest joy of baking: When I see someone enjoying something I’ve made.

Your dream menu: Healthy cakes and breads. I try and avoid refined sugar, maida or butter, and it tastes just as good!

Parikshaat Wadhwani, 31, Designer

Have you baked before? Cookies, a year or so ago. With work, there was no time.

Some things you’ve made: I baked a mango cake for my brother’s birthday. Before I knew it, I was baking cupcakes, Oreo cheesecake and vanilla and chocolate panna cotta on weekends. I watched YouTube videos for techniques and discovered hacks for when ingredients weren’t available.

Mistakes made: I froze a red velvet cake so it turned hard.

The biggest joy of baking: The aroma, for sure. I also enjoy listening to soothing music while baking. My brother’s reaction to a pefectly-turned out cheesecake makes my day. Also, there’s my Instagram feed!

Your dream menu: Tarts, macarons, cookies, sev barfi, rasmalai, shahi tukda, kulfi, kheer and kajukatli − Indian desserts are underrated.

Urvi Mukherjee, 27, Television executive

Have you baked before? I was seven years old when I first baked. But as I grew older, I stopped.

Some things you’ve made: I was obsessed with the chocolate cake in Matilda. So, I decided to try that. I experimented with choco chip sea-salt biscuits with crunchy grains of sugar and a healthy cookie made with natural peanut butter, jaggery and eggs.Haven’t tried baking bread yet.

Mistakes made: I overfilled a baking tin while making chocolate cake and the batter flowed out, leaving an empty centre. So, I filled it with cream cheese and homemade cherry jam. It was yummy!

The biggest joy of baking: Cooking and baking are more calming and helpful than years of therapy and medication.

Your dream menu: A limitless menu, like a three-fruit tart where you can pick the combination of fruits!

Pooja Dhingra, celebrity chef and owner of Le15 Patisserie plays judge, and picks the winner

And the winner is…Parikshaat Wadhwani