About

Hi there!

I’m Shy (Shailaja desai), a  Culinary Instructor  for Adults, Teens & Kids @ Cookingwithshy,now based in Toronto. I have over 16 years experience of curating Cooking workshops and food consulting between  Dubai, Toronto & Mumbai. I have a background in Food Science & Technology and I’m a certified baker. 

  • My most recent experience,being employed  as an  adjunct faculty at the Ramanath Payyade College of Hospitality Studies ,as a Head of Bakery operations coordinating practical & theory classes for First & Third year students (Bombay University hospitality  curriculum Mumbai) (2014-2019)
  • Was also instrumental in setting up Kids Baking workshops Mumbai (2014-2019)
  • Collaborated with Masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khazana by creating digital content for his You tube channel and conducted various cooking and baking workshops in Mumbai (2014-2019)
  • Extensive background of conducting Culinary Workshops in Dubai specializing in Indian & Global cuisine, Bread Baking, Desserts, Gluten free Baking and Kids cooking workshops.(Dubai, 2010-2014)
  • Recipe Development for food brands and Menu Planning for restaurants. (2010-2014 ,Dubai)
  • Freelance food writing for Gulf New (2010-2014 Dubai)
  • Consulted part time for Curves Canada, which primarily involved Nutrition, Fitness and weight management solutions. Was trained by Curves International (USA) (Toronto, 2007-2010)
  • Successful history of managing a Bakery Franchise (Mrs Fields Cookies) in Canada as hands on owner operator (Toronto, 2004-2007)
  • Highly Proficient in Techniques of Baking & Cooking.
  • In depth knowledge of Food Preparation and Science.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cookingwithshy

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cookingwithshy

Twitter:      www.twitter.com/cookingwithshy

  • Cookingwithshy conducts various Culinary workshops for Adults,Teens & kids. (Virtual Classes)
  • Corporate Cook offs and Workshops
  • Specialising in Indian, Middle Eastern and International Cuisine.
  • These range from Appetizers,Main Courses,Soups & Salads and desserts
  • Gluten free Baking and Cooking
  • Low Carb and Keto friendly Cooking
  • Baking Workshops
  • Bread Making 
  • Eggless Baking and Sugar Free Baking

Most of these workshops are limited in groups of 4-6 people so as to give each participant individual attention. All printed recipes are provided.Individuals get to sample and take away preparation after the class.

Cookingwithshy is now virtual and now my workshops are available via Zoom. Do kindly get in touch with me at the telephone or email address provuded below if you would like me to curate a workshop customised to your needs and requirements.

Please do get in touch with me for any of the following services.

  • Recipe and Brand development
  • Restaurant Menu Planning 
  • Recipe brochures and recipes for websites
  • Recipe testing and Product reviews
  • Freelance Food Writing
  • Social media and brand promotion consulting
  • Instagram Ads and Sponsored posts

Would love to hear from you.

Shailaja Desai (Shy)

cookingwithshy@gmail.com

54 Comments

    • shyzie says

      Hi Nima…thanks for visiting my blog…yes I’m working on some more wonderful recipes and will post them soon…please do try them out and let me know…happy cooking:))

      Reply
  4. Poornima Guruprasad says

    Hey Shy, Great job with the blog!! Love it:) So happy you found a way to voice your passion!! Keep it up! LOL..P

    Reply
  5. shyzie says

    My dearest Poornima…thanks so much for checking it out.Yes I absolutely love blogging about food….love cooking,writing and ofcourse my new passion Food photography…Cheers…PS:Goodluck with your move:))

    Reply
  6. maisonarmoire says

    What a beautiful blog, photography, food! Dubai, how exotic. I love Thai cooking, yours looks so fresh. I didn’t know green mangos were eatable! Your “scratch” cooking is without pre-packaged mixes, except of course for the Thai sauces, that’s the kind of cooking along with the local ingredients makes food from countries like yours so memorable!

    Reply
  7. shyzie says

    @ Maisonarmoire…Thanks so much for stopping by and your lovely comment…Im glad you liked my blog:))

    Reply
  8. Anita Mujumdar says

    Love love love your blog Shy!! The food pics are amazing….do you take the photos yourself?? Keep it up!!! xoxo

    Reply
  9. shyzie says

    Hey Anita…Thanks for your lovely comment and for stopping by…Yes food photography is my new passion after cooking ofcourse…hope to be able to post often enough…Pls chk out the fb page as well under the same name:))

    Reply
  10. Jayant says

    Hi Shyzie …surprise and delight us this Ramadan …some rice pudding perhaps 🙂

    Reply
  12. Pradnya Kadam says

    hi foodie loved your blog, hope it helps me too to try new recipes

    especially the baking side

    keep up the good work

    Reply
  17. Shari says

    Hi Shy, Thanks so much for recently stopping by my blog! It is very nice to meet you. We have a love of cooking in common. Best wishes to you in your cooking and writing!

    Reply
    • cookingwithshy says

      Thanks very much Shari for the wishes..yes hope to interact more with you over our blog and recipes…All the very best to you as well:))

      Reply
  18. lynne hoareau says

    Hi Shyzie, lovely to meet you. Thanks so much for visiting my blog and for the follow. Looking forward to visiting your great blog. Have a wonderful day further 🙂

    Reply
    • cookingwithshy says

      Thanks so much…and likewise…you have a lovely blog and look forward to interacting in this space…have a great day!!

      Reply
  20. Nadia says

    Thanks for stopping by and joining my blog. I hope you enjoy reading the recipes and about my travels as much as I enjoy sharing them with you. Welcome aboard.

    Reply
  22. cupcakecache says

    Thank you for following my blog! I would never have found you. Are you working in India? I see that you once owned a Mrs. Field’s cookie franchise…my husband and I owned a gourmet cupcake business which we set up as a mom and pop for 4 years. We closed in 2015, December after my husband was diagnosed with cancer. We both baked, decorated, etc. and I have a second job as an English Instructor during the fall and winter semesters. He is cancer-free now but returns in July for another exploratory operation. I am enjoying the time off and our time together! Yes, I still love to bake but being on the fringe of a not great area cured me of opening a small business. We had great reviews, and people came from all over but in the end, we just needed more business and healthier lives. Best wishes. Owning a un-established small business is not for the weak of heart. I look forward to reading your blog.

    Reply
    • cookingwithshy says

      Hi yes…great to connect on this blog space…Mrs Field indeed was a great experience…Lovely to hear about your business all tho sorry to hear you had to close…Pray that all stays well with you and your husband’s health…do stay connected:))

      Reply
  23. Eartha says

    Loved reading about your experience and hearing your story, Shy. “For the love of food” indeed!

    Reply
  29. Raji lamba says

    Hi shy
    Just live reading you blog every now n then….. its sooo satisfying!!
    Shy would you know of a good dimsum reipe?

    Reply
    • cookingwithshy says

      Hey Rajji…Thanks so much my dear…Yes will surely share a great dim sum recipe with you soon…Just back from a great trip to Montreal;))

      Reply
  32. Sapna Bhattacharya says

    Hi Shy, thanks for stopping by my blog. Feeling honored that you liked my recipe 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s