The cookie master: From human resources manager to pastry chef

Some people learn how to bake, while others are born to do so. Taher Sindi is a pastry chef who one day woke up and decided to quit his job as a human resource manager and follow his dream and open a pastry shop.
“I one day realized I wasn’t happy with my job working behind a desk and so decided to go back to my real passion which was cooking in general even though I wasn’t good at baking at all,” said Sindi.
“I started brainstorming what kind of shop I wanted to open and came up with the idea of entering the food industry. I then started brainstorming and studying the Kingdom’s food market, from eateries that sold burgers and shawarmas to cafés and restaurants,” he added.
“Then it occurred to me that there weren’t any decent cookie shops that sold perfect cookies and this is where the idea of Crunchez was born,” he said.
Sindi took courses at a culinary school to master cooking and baking techniques. “I only took two or three courses to learn the basics of baking since I had zero experience in this field. I wouldn’t call myself a chef now, I would say I’m a specialist,” he said.
Sindi spent six years searching and hunting for the perfectly shaped and best tasting recipes. “I took a basic cookie recipe from a friend and started baking every day for six years. I developed it and made my own recipe. I then added seven other cookie flavors to it,” he added.
Crunchez initially started by selling cookies and then progressed to also selling fresh coffee and delicious and colorful cupcakes. “A friend of mine suggested I sell coffee and cupcakes to cater for people who don’t like cookies in general,” he said. “Now my shop offers the best cookies and cupcakes; even my coffee is special. I ship most of my ingredients from different parts of the world to get the most unique and ultimate tastes,” he added.
Sindi uses low fat and low calorie ingredients, and sometimes sugar-free additives to make his products healthy. “This actually makes my shop special because it’s healthy. People these days are more aware of how sugar and fat can harm their health,” he said.
Sindi’s specialties include his colorful and puffy cupcakes for which he uses natural colors and flavors. “I don’t use chemical additives and I prefer baking from scratch. I use colors that have been derived from flowers and fruits,” he said.
Crunchez produces a couple of thousand cupcakes a day. “Even when I’m not in the kitchen I always have the mix ready for my assistants to put in the oven so customers are always satisfied,” he added.
Crunchez’s menu is regularly updated with new flavors almost every week to ensure customers do not get bored. “We always seek to be unique in the products we offer so you will find me bringing in new cupcakes and cookies so people can explore new tastes and have a new experience,” said Sindi.
Crunchez sells around 27 kinds of cookies. “We also sell more than 25 kinds of cupcakes, which include the traditional chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and carrot flavors to more unique ones such as the rose, red velvet, tiramisue and Oroe flavored ones.”
Twenty-two-year-old college student Nadeen Mohammadi often visits Crunchez. “I think the cupcakes are brilliant and the coffee is just irresistible. But what I like the most are the reasonable prices,” she said. “I live near Red Sea Mall and come here everyday to get a morning coffee and cupcake before college. I’m definitely an addict,” she added.
Sindi hopes to share his baking secrets by writing a cookery book and opening a culinary school that specializes in pastry in Jeddah.