A young perfectionist and passionate go-getter, is how uMhlanga resident Dashriya Naidoo would describe herself as she whips up the next order of cakes from her now famous kitchen.
The 14-year-old has garnered nationwide interest after going viral on social media, for her baking skills. Speaking to the Durban North News, Naidoo’s mother, Deloshni, attributes her daughter’s incredible achievements to her meticulousness, attention to detail and phenomenal work ethic. Coupled with sheer talent and superb time management skills, Naidoo is testament to the capabilities of young women everywhere. “Dashriya’s passion and drive comes from her passion to succeed. She is an overachiever, in all that she does, and aims to be the best she can be in all aspects of life,” said the proud mother. Naidoo’s business, WhippedbyDash, was launched in November, last year, when friends and family made the suggestion after thoroughly enjoying the young confectioners sweet treats. “Since I have been cooking and baking from a very young age, it wasn’t really a discovery that I was adept at it. The years of experimenting in the kitchen really paid off when I got more serious about baking and started baking something new almost every weekend,” shared Naidoo.
The passionate baker said that there is nothing she enjoys more than donning her apron of creativity. “It’s so much fun to let my imagination run wild. Coming up with crazy ideas and getting to turn them into real products is incredible.” Despite her flair for the culinary arts, the Danville Park learner also has her challenging moments. She said the in-between stages where nothing seems to be working out always frustrates her, but by trusting the process, Naidoo said that she always comes out on top. A rule of thumb that also enables her to juggle both school and a business. “Juggling school and the business is hard but I handle it by planning out my weeks and days in advance. This helps because I have a very hectic schedule, doing extracurricular activities four days a week. I also make lots of to do lists and make sure I stick to them. I’ve learnt so much in the past few months. From the proper way to interact with customers to money and time management. It’s been an amazing journey so far and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.”
One day, Naidoo hopes to open her very own bakeshop as well as pursue a career in medicine. Her passion also extends to social work, where she plans on hosting a skills development class in baking at special needs schools. “My mom and aunt are occupational therapists and I’ve grown up with a passion for helping people who are differently abled. In the future, I see myself studying medicine and becoming a doctor. I would like to specialize in orthopaedic surgery, just like my dad. I would like to obtain more than four degrees so I can beat his record.” Naidoo’s biggest inspiration is her parents, sharing that her parents are her all time favourite people who made her into the person that she is. “My mom made me fall in love with baking and made me into the person I am today. I hope that one day I can be as amazing at being a mom as she is. My dad inspires my love for medicine and I think my work ethic mimics his. I hope I can work alongside him one day and we can be a father-daughter orthopaedic duo.” Her advice to young entrepreneurs is to not hesitate to follow their passion.
