About Veena - Cook Bake and Decorate with Confidence

I'm Veena, a self-taught cook, baker, and cake decorator. I am also the writer, editor, and photographer behind every recipe on this little blog.

I created this blog as a little space for me to share my recipes as well as to help self-taught cake decorators like me expand their baking and decorating skills. My cakes have been featured in many magazines and websites all across the world.

I live in Israel with my husband and two kids. My husband Ziv works as a consultant for start-up companies so he often works from home meaning we get to spend a lot of time together. My kids Aadi and Rhea are both teens. Aadi is 15 years old and Rhea is 13 years old. So, yes, my days are often filled with teen melodrama.

My Story

I was born in Mumbai, India, and raised by a mother who taught me that nothing can stop you from achieving your goals if you dedicate yourself to them. While she was uneducated formally, she was the most talented and wise woman I've ever known. An excellent baker, cook, seamstress, gardener, and teacher. So I've got her to thank for teaching me those skills.

After I graduated college in Mumbai, I worked for Singapore Airlines as a flight attendant for 10 years. That's how I met my wonderful husband Ziv, who at the time was living in the US. We traveled together as much as we could before we got married. And while it was a very long-distance relationship, it was also like one long honeymoon. After we got married, we relocated to Israel.

Since I have a degree in English literature, a second degree in marketing, and an MBA, my original plan was to be a marketing executive after leaving the airline. And yet, life had other plans for me. And I decided to listen to my heart and pursue my passion for cake decorating.

Being self-taught

While I've always been a good baker and cook, cake decorating was a new challenge. And I had to learn it from scratch the hard way. I taught myself by learning everything I possibly could from YouTube and cake blogs and practicing, practicing, and more practice. There are no shortcuts to becoming great at anything. And cake decorating is no exception.

With time, I got better and better. And yet, mastery is a life-long journey and I continue to learn, practice and improve every day. Today, I have great satisfaction and pride in seeing how far I've already come from where I started. And this experience gives me the confidence that I can achieve any goal I set for myself.

As a result, I felt that it's also important for me to give back to the community for what it has given me. I want to help others, the way others helped me. So I started my blog and have been sharing my recipes, tutorials, and tips. My purpose is to use my story, know-how, and experience to empower more women to bake, cook, decorate and pursue their passions like me.

Because, at the end of the day, it's not just about food and cakes, it's also about feeling confident, valued, and self-sufficient.

A collage of food photos. — What is the best camera for food bloggers, what is the best camera for cake pictures,

Blogging and me

Have you ever wanted to cook gourmet meals at home that will wow your family and friends? Or decorate cakes for your kids' birthdays and family celebrations but don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you want to make cake decorating or food blogging your career? Well, you came to the right place.

On this blog, you will find great ideas for every meal and any occasion with hundreds of proven recipes. You will also find step-by-step photo tutorials and videos that will help you easily prepare impressive, delicious, and healthy dishes for the whole family.

I've always loved cooking, baking, and cake decorating but couldn't afford to attend culinary school. So, I had to learn my way thru trial and error. On this blog, I share my tried and tested recipes, tutorials, and experiences with you.

My goals are:

Make you a great cook so you can enjoy making great food in your own kitchen.
Turn you into a skilled baker so your family, friends, and customers will come back for more.
Help you become a professional and confident cake decorator, and get paid for your hard work.

How do we do all that?

I teach you the techniques and tools that I have mastered over the years as a cook, baker, and cake decorator.
The key to becoming a good cook or baker is understanding your recipe and ingredients. Therefore, I don't just give you a recipe. I also help you understand and know your ingredients, their role, and their effect on each recipe.
Cake decorating is easy if you know the right methods. And yet, it can be a nightmare if you just try to wing it. So, I teach you everything you need to know about cake decorating, from basic to advanced skills. You will find lots of tips, detailed tutorials with step-by-step instructions, as well as video tutorials.
Being a professional takes more than just knowing how to make cakes. It's about finding that balance, knowing how to juggle between home baking and professional baking which is why I have a section just for a cake business.
Starting a business can be daunting at first and it's more than just registering your business. I share the lessons and advice from my own experience to save you from making the same mistakes that I made. Also, I show you how to start your own cake business from home. And how to create a website to showcase your cakes, as well as other marketing tips. So you can spend your time and money wisely.