A Billion Buttery Shrewsbury Memories: Will Kayani Bakery Reopen?

Kayani bakery please reopen soon!

Kayani bakery was established in 1955.

(Photo Courtesy: Showghi Yezdi/Paurushasp Kayani)

It’s well past 9.00 am on a Saturday and one of Pune’s oldest bakeries is still in a deep slumber. The bakery that comes alive as early as 7.30 am is lifeless today. The sweet aroma of freshly baked bread, which enlivens the bakery every morning, is also missing; instead, a certain heaviness hangs in the air.

All you get to see are a few disappointed visitors – who’ve been deprived of the bakery’s famous and delicious shrewsbury biscuits.

The bakery was asked to stop operations due to issues relating to trade licence.(Photo Courtesy: Showghi Yezdi)

The truth is – fans of the bakery still cannot wrap their heads around the fact that Kayani bakery is no longer operational. The bakery was asked to stop operations due to issues relating to trade licence, thereby leaving innumerable Puneites deprived of their share of oven-fresh shrewsbury biscuits and warm, pillowy, soft mawa cakes.

The Icon

The bakery was started by Khodayar Kayani, and his brother, Hormazdiar Kayani.(Photo Courtesy: Showghi Yezdi)

Established in 1955 by Khodayar and Hormazdiar Kayani, the bakery has bound the city in a food spell for decades, continuing to retain its vintage charm and maintain its iconic status.

The bakery was started by my great grandfather, Khodayar Kayani, and his brother, Hormazdiar Kayani. They had migrated from Iran before 1947 and settled in Pune.

Paurushasp Kayani, great grandson of Khodayar Kayani

What makes the bakery iconic is its coy minimalism: a few wooden chairs and tables, a blackboard that serves as a menu card.(Photo Courtesy: Showghi Yezdi)

What makes the bakery iconic is its coy minimalism: a few wooden chairs and tables, a blackboard that serves as a menu card and their signature soft mawa cakes, the kharis, nankatais, sourdough bread , the crunchy elaichi butter and the trademark shrewsbury biscuits.

“All the items we sell now have actually been here since inception,” says Kayani.

But what sets the bakery apart is the consistency they have maintained over the years. Thus, it is no surprise that most of the bakes are sold within the blink of an eye.

The Popularity

Kayani’s hot favourite Shrewsbury biscuits and Mawa cake. (Photo Courtesy: Paurushasp Kayani)

The popularity of Kayani bakery isn’t restricted to Pune alone; this icon has fans across the country. Mumbai-based Gauri Marathe makes it a point to visit the bakery every time she is in Pune. She says,

Kayani is not a just a bakery, it’s an institution. There are so many memories attached to it. I remember asking my dad and grandpa to get shrewsbury biscuits and mawa cakes every time they travelled to Pune. Decades have passed but the taste is exactly the same.

Similarly, Gautam Majumdar, who is a Surat resident, never misses a chance to visit the bakery when he is in Pune. “Distance is never a factor when it comes to visiting my favourite bakery”, says Majumdar.

My personal favourites are the shrewsbury biscuits, ginger biscuits, plum cakes and cup cakes. What sets the bakery apart from the rest is that the consistency of their products and the taste has endured over the years.

Gautam Majumdar, a frequent visitor to Kayani bakery

Perhaps that is why the bakery is a favourite amongst most. Although there are other flashier outlets in the neighbourhood, people still warm up to their minimalist yet consistent flavours.

Post the Shutdown...

The shutting down of the bakery has not gone down well with its fans. (Photo Courtesy: Showghi Yezdi)

The shutting down of the bakery has not gone down well with its fans who confess to being shocked, disappointed and wistful.

Anisha Bari, an IT professional from Bengaluru and a huge fan of the bakery, admits,

When I read the news about Kayani bakery closing down, I felt as though a lot of my memories had washed away. Many generations of my family have been attached to the bakery, irrespective of where they live. It was mandatory for any person travelling from Pune to buy a packet or two of the famous shrewsbury biscuits and legendary mawa cakes for us.

Her mother, Ina Bari, also chimes in, “We were hoping that they would open branches in other cities too but alas, to our dismay, we hear that they are shutting down”.

Similarly Showghi Yezdi, 61, who runs a cafe in Mumbai remembers his childhood days, when he lived in Pune and frequented the bakery.

Whatever little pocket money I would get at that time, I would use to buy shrewsbury biscuits. Even now, whenever I’m in Pune, I make it a point to visit this landmark and relive my childhood.

We only hope that a bakery that is synonymous with Pune and with so many of its citizens, resumes operations soon. It is far too disheartening to watch as a “temporarily closed” signboard draws a billion shrewsbury dreams to a close.

Also read:
Pune’s Iconic Kayani Bakery Must Renew Trade License or Shut Shop

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