Q&a / How this Hong Kong baker co-founded his business at age 12: Baking Maniac’s Ankrish Gidwani on his mum-and-son shop that makes desserts for Dior and Discovery Channel – interview

Jun 13, 2023

Ankrish Gidwani (top), founder of Baking Maniac in Hong Kong, has been baking since he was a kid. Photo: Handout

Since age 5, Ankrish Gidwani would help his mum Renuka bake at YWCA and City’super – then, in 2008 when he was 12, he started a blog that grew into his Hong Kong-based cake shop Baking Maniac

To his surprise, it didn’t take long for him to get his first order; today, him and his mother’s company makes everything from cake pops and cookies to dog treats and towering 8-tier rainbow cakes

Ankrish Gidwani is the founder and lead baker of Hong Kong-based cake shop Baking Maniac. The company, which he set up in 2008 (at the time he was only 12 years old) with his mother, business partner and fellow professional baker, Renuka, is one of the city’s most popular dessert establishments. The boutique currently offers custom-made cakes and eye-catching seasonal goodies as well as an impressive selection of mouth-watering sweet treats that include cake pops, biscuits and bake-at-home kits.

We chat with the 27-year-old baker extraordinaire about his growing business and bestselling confections.

Ankrish Gidwani, founder of Baking Maniac. Photo: Handout

Tell us about Baking Maniac.

Baking Maniac is a mother-and-son team business built solely on passion and love for desserts. We bake for special occasions as well as corporate events and hold baking workshops for schools, birthday parties and corporate team buildings at our venue in Wong Chuk Hang. We offer gluten-free, dairy-free and eggless cakes as well as cakes and treats for dogs.

Baking Maniac can create custom desserts for clients. Photo: Handout

How did you get started?

The business was never planned and we never had a business plan. Growing up, I was introduced to baking from a very young age. From age five, I would help my mum teach baking at YWCA and City’super. I have a very big sweet tooth and therefore loved baking as that meant I got to eat it after. By age of 12, I would bake every Friday after school, trying out new recipes and blogging all my creations for my own reference. Unexpectedly, this led to my first order as someone found my blog and wanted to order for a Christmas party.

Cookies from Baking Maniac. Photo: Handout

I was very interested to learn more baking and pastry skills, therefore I wrote to over 30 five-star hotels in HK asking if I could do a free internship in their pastry kitchens. However, I was, of course, rejected by every hotel, therefore decided to continue baking and uploading on my blog, without knowing or realising that word of mouth would spread.