Tiffany D’Lima Menezes’ venture The Cookie Crumb Trail is the go-to enterprise to satiate your sweet tooth
Passion for her work, a keen eye for detail and a bright entrepreneurial spirit describe Tiffany D’Lima Menezes, a cookie artist and founder of The Cookie Crumb Trail, one of the few bakers in India to specialise exclusively in cookies and cookie art. Be it a wedding, a birthday or a baby shower, Tiffany caters to all occasions and hand-crafts decorated themed cookies which are customisable to suit her clients’ tastes and colour palettes. 
While baking is something that comes naturally to her, little did she know that her fond hobby would one day become her career and passion! Starting off by baking cupcakes and small cakes, Tiffany travelled to Doha, Qatar in 2018 to expand her skill set and to refine her cake decorating skills. While she was attending workshops on cake decorating, she chanced upon a certificate course on cookie decorating techniques and seizing the opportunity, Tiffany got certified from Squires Kitchen International School in cookie decorating techniques. Here, she realised that this was her calling and she would definitely like to work on cookie art in the future.
Describing her journey, Tiffany states that having a baby in the year 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic; saw her putting all cake orders on hold for a year. When she decided to restart her venture in September 2021, she knew she wanted to explore something new. That’s when her search on Instagram led her to explore the creations of talented cookie artists all over the world and being inspired, she practiced and refined her skill set until she was finally ready to bake professionally. Being an alumnus of Goa Institute of Management and having a degree in business management has helped her combine the best of both the worlds to set up and grow her business.
Describing the cookies she curates, Tiffany states, “The designs, shapes and colours of each of the themed cookies are highly customisable and hence, I offer them in two flavours – chocolate and vanilla. Clients can convey their requirements to me − colour preferences, theme, shapes, etc., and I customise a set, with each cookie hand-decorated using royal icing or fondant. Many clients opt for names and dates to be added to the cookies as well, to make them even more unique.” She also offers chocolate chip cookies, and while these cannot be customised, this cookie is the favourite of the young and the old. Of late, she has also expanded her skill set to include floral cupcakes. Introduced and made exclusively available for Mother’s Day 2024, these beautifully hand-piped petals of butter cream on cupcakes, are now available to order for any event. 
Tiffany also curates unique gift offerings for most holidays − be it Christmas, Easter or Halloween. “Every holiday requires careful planning, and much thought goes into every offering − right from the design to the packaging – so that my clients get the best,” adds Tiffany. She has also made customised cookies for destination weddings in Goa that have been kept as part of hampers in hotel rooms to welcome wedding guests. The possibilities in this segment are endless- right from beaches to convey the vibe of beautiful Goa, to florals customised with couple’s names, Tiffany has it all.
Tiffany’s customers are very special to her and, working on an order set requires her to pay special attention to every detail by the client; she remembers most of her client’s names and their orders. “Weddings are very special to me, and every time I get the opportunity to work on a wedding order, I feel very grateful to be part of someone’s special day. I have also worked on destination wedding sets, and it feels wonderful to convey the beauty of Goa (from beaches to palm trees) on cookies,” says Tiffany who feels special to be a part of any of her client’s milestones.
Speaking about her work-life balance, Tiffany describes herself as “A mom by day, a cookie artist by night.” When she began taking orders for cookies, her son was merely a year old and she knew she never wanted to compromise on the time spent with him. The only way to make this possible would be for her to spend her days looking after him and work on orders during the night. Three years down the line and Tiffany still works primarily late at night, after putting her son to bed, or very early in the morning before he wakes up. Finding a balance is indeed difficult, admits Tiffany, “But giving my son quality time and attention at this age when he needs me most is fulfilling, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!”.
While working on her cookies brings her happiness and joy like no other, Tiffany admits that carving a niche for herself while building her brand has been a daunting task. Being an entrepreneur comes with its own set of challenges- from social media and photography to admin work, Tiffany manages all of these and the obstacles that come along, on her own. She takes it as an opportunity to learn different aspects of handling the business and tries to get better every day. While growing her business and gaining recognition for her skills is her current priority, Tiffany is proud to be carving her own way through the field, her zeal for her work seeing her through.
