Meet Niku Desai | Baker and Physical Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Niku Desai and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Niku, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I love baking and have been doing it for years. About seven years ago, my niece shared a cookie recipe with me, and I made it for her with a few tweaks of my own. She said it was one of the best cookies she had ever tasted.

After that, I began making the cookies as host gifts, for gatherings, and for teacher and staff appreciation events at my children’s school. They were always a big hit, and several people told me I should start a business.

My dad, who passed away in 2011, always encouraged me to open a bakery. After receiving so many compliments on the cookies, I thought, “Why not? Let me do what my dad always believed I could do.”

And that’s how Dogwood Delectables was born.

What should our readers know about your business?
My dad was an amazing businessman, as is my brother. I wasn’t sure if I had the business gene in me, so I chose the medical route and became a physical therapist.

I love being a physical therapist and seeing how my patients progress throughout their treatment. However, I also wanted to do something with my passion for baking. I’ve loved baking for a long time and have been doing it for years. My dad always encouraged me to start my own bakery, and a little over a year ago, I decided to take the chance.

Dogwood Delectables is currently a small home-based business, but I hope to grow it over time. Right now, I primarily bake cookies and Bundt cakes. My signature delectable is a salted brown butter chocolate chip cookie.

There are so many things to keep track of when running a small business, but I have enjoyed the challenge. It hasn’t been an easy process, but I am fortunate to have family and friends I can always turn to for support and advice.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh, where to begin. My best friend is definitely a foodie so we would have to go to many of the amazing restaurants in the Atlanta area.

We would start the weekend with brunch at Murphy’s, a restaurant I’ve been going to for more than 15 years. From there, we would stroll through Virginia-Highland, do a little shopping, and then stop for a drink at Moe’s and Joe’s or grab a coffee from San Francisco Coffee Roasting Co.

During the week, we would visit some of my favorite museums, including the High Museum of Art, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the Atlanta History Center. For dinner, we would enjoy some of Atlanta’s best restaurants, such as Surin, Umi, and Miller Union.

No trip to Atlanta is complete without a visit to Ponce City Market and the DeKalb Farmers Market. You could easily spend an entire day exploring Ponce City Market before heading out to the BeltLine and making your way toward Krog Street Market and the many restaurants and shops along the way. The DeKalb Farmers Market is one of my favorite places in the city. My family has been going there since I was about five years old, and it has truly become an Atlanta institution.

We would round out the week with a visit to Piedmont Park. Hopefully, there would be a festival or event taking place, but even if there isn’t, it’s a wonderful place to walk around and enjoy a drink at Park Tavern while taking in the view of the city skyline.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents and my siblings, as well as my niece, Mira

Website: https://www.dogwooddelectables.com

Instagram: @dogwooddelectables

Image Credits
Erin Schopf (photo of Niku)