Taste Retreat by Tasheen

When a financial consultant takes up the ladle her patrons are provided witha one-stop-shop for all their food experience needs …be it –curated custom food gifting experiences, party menu consultations and creations, customised unique corporate gifting, comprehensive food consultancy services et al.

Let us introduce you to Tasheen … a Mumbai based 25-year-old girl who believes in celebrating every milestone and occasion. Hailing from a Math, Finance, and Economics background she graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelors in Economics and Math, and embarked on a career as a financial consultant in New York at Crisil, after which she worked with Ernst and Young in Mumbai for three-and-a-half years. Despite her expertise in the field of finance she pursued a diverse array of interests, from hosting women empowerment events to curating soirées in the caviar circles.

 

Story behind the brand

It was basically Tasheen’s passion for food, beauty, and personalised luxury that inspired the launch of Taste Retreat. Taste Retreat is a one-of-a-kind luxury brand that promises customized and unique gourmet food experiences. It was her varied interests that made her realize that food was her true calling. Proudly elaborating on what sets her venture apart Tasheen says “Having tried and tasted delicious cuisine from an expansive variety of budding entrepreneurs in the F and B space, Taste Retreat can guarantee you the finest taste and quality, from chefs and home bakers that are at the peak of their speciality! The brand is a one-stop-shop for all your food experience needs and excels in - curating custom food gifting experiences, party menu consultations and creations, customised unique corporate gifting, comprehensive food consultancy services et al.

Product variety

The foundation of Taste Retreat's success is the quality of what the customer has come to expect - beautifully packaged scones that make you miss London's flippant weather; and tiny, multi-flavoured cupcakes that are reminiscent of ‘Baked by Melissa’leaving you craving for more. Tasheen shares “For us, the customer is king. My end goal is to curate the best offering for every customer so that they smile, with satisfaction and surprise, when looking upon what they have received. Our menus are personalized and everything that comes in is quality-checked before being delivered. After all, quality is what we are known for...Andthe devil is in the detail.”

Taste Retreat’s best sellers comprise - parmesan butter biscuit base, roasted tomato and zucchini, basil cream cheese filling, pine nut garnish, dark chocolate sponge soaked in coffee … to name a few.

Touching on the price range Tasheen elaborates “We don't have a fixed price point, but rather curate items based on the budget our client provides us.   Our USP is our flexibility to work around the budget to offer everything under the sun. Our offerings are available for INR 3000 onwards”

The favourite offerings of this self-taught food curator comprise the customized hand painted boxes and  handcrafted trunks. “What make the offerings unique are the personal touches which are given to each product right from the messages to the hues of the boxes; every element complements the vibe and personality of the receiver. These boxes and trunks are painted by artists across Mumbai which is my way of helping these artists who have lost jobs during the lockdown.” Now isn’t that thoughtful!

Special product range

Taste Retreat is among the few food enterprises which has on-board nutritionists and dieticians who guide the team on providing exclusive low-count calorie options for the health-conscious, diabetic and gluten-sensitive segment. Some of the best-selling gluten-free and refined sugar- free options available at Taste Retreat include - diabetic cake (chocolate cake with coconut frosting and edible flowers); almond butter fudge brownies; whole rolled oats double chocolate chip cookie (eggless); dark chocolate raspberry cake (butter free and eggless as well); snicker and twix slices; cookie dough brownie loaf; dense chocolate fudge cake; apple walnut crumble cake; quinoa cake chocolate cake … to name a few

Diwali hampers 

For Diwali, Taste Retreat is premiering a couple of special edition Diwali boxes with themes apt for the festive season –

• “Denim Pearl” which includes light blue glazed donuts, blueberry lemon curd infused cakes/muffins
• “DIY Bhel” which is a spin-off on Indian desserts like carrot ghewar halwa tart and much more!
• A must-have after all the festive bingeing is the “Reboot Box” which consists of detox food items such as smoothies, healthy snacking options, et al.

 

Future plans 

Tasheen is looking at expanding Taste Retreat across as many avenues as possible. She also intends focussing more into catering for upto 50 people in the COVID-19 new normal besides indulging in corporate settings and styling with the niche curated offerings from Taste Retreat. 

 

Tasheen leaves a lovely message for the Foodism Reader Segment “Always follow your passion. Sooner or later you will realise your calling. It is food that has been a source of utter bliss for me, despite hailing from a Wall Street background. Always remember that curating food means knowing the various options available, experimenting with what is new, and delivering it to customers with such speed that there is no room for complacency. There's a certain thrill about understanding how people buy and spend, and what I have learned during my journey is that people want to give and show love, and what better way to do it than with customized foods curated specially for you?”

 

Best Seller Recipe: Tropical Sablé Breton 

(With citrus cream topped with caramelised pineapples and desiccated coconut)

 

Ingredients

 

1) Dough

• Butter – 65 Grams 
• Sugar - 57.5 Grams 
• Salt – 1 Gram 
• Vanilla Essence - 0.5Gram
• Egg Yolk - 32  Grams
• Flour – 90Grams
• Baking Powder - 5.5Grams
• Egg Wash - For 1 egg

 

2) For Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting

• Whipping Cream – 25Gram
• Icing Sugar – 42 Gram 
• Cream Cheese – 110Gram
• Mascarpone Cheese – 60Gram
• Vanilla Extract - 0.5Gram
• Lemon Zest - Of 1 lemon
• Lemon Juice – 15Grams

 

3) For Caramelised Pineapples

• Butter – 10 Grams
• Sugar – 30 Grams
• Pineapples – Half Bowl

 

Method

Note: Ensure that cream cheese and mascarpone are at room temperature

• Take a bowl and add in the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and sieve in the icing sugar
• Beat the ingredients with an electric mixer or whisk it by hand
• Refrigerate the frosting

 

For Sablé Dough

• Cut the cold butter into cubes and beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract with a whisk or an electric beater
• Add egg yolks and beat this mixture till it’s smooth and fluffy
• Sieve the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt together and add it to the mixture
• Combine and form a dough
• Put the dough between two sheets of plastic and roll out to half centimetre thickness
• Freeze this for 20 minutes
• Take a circular cutter and cut circles with the dough;the size depends on personal choice
• Preheat the oven at 170-degree Celsius
• Crack an egg and apply egg wash on the sablecircles with a brush before baking
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown

 

Toppings

• Cut the pineapples into cubes
• Add 10grams of butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar (30gms) in a saucepan
• Stir and let the sugar melt after which add the pineapples
• Add a pinch of cinnamon when the pineapples turn soft

 

Assembling

• Take the sable circular domes
• Add the refrigerated cream
• Put the caramelised pineapples on top and add some dedicated coconuts(chocolate lovers can add chocolate pearls!)