Tempered with Love: Tripti Kumari and the making of Caramélisé
- Urvashi Singh
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
In the City of Nawabs that has forever celebrated kebabs as an institution and mithai a birthright — a new chapter is quietly being written. One that doesn't arrive in a blaze of noise, but in the unhurried, deliberate manner of a perfectly tempered chocolate, with intention, with precision, and with a great deal of heart.
This is the story of Tripti Kumari and her upcoming artisanal dessert studio, Caramélisé (pronounced Kara-meh-lizay), which is set to open its doors in Lucknow on 28th June.
As an undergraduate student at Mumbai’s Sophia College, Tripti was like any other girl of her age, figuring out the endless possibilities that life had to offer.
Back then, the world of pastry wasn't mapped out on Tripti’s career chart. It was felt. After finishing college and finding herself at a crossroads, it was the memory of desserts — always present at life's happiest moments, birthdays, celebratory meals, quiet, ordinary afternoons — that offered her a sense of direction. Having practically made a pilgrimage of every pastry shop in Mumbai during her college years, she was drawn not merely to how desserts tasted, but to the emotion and creativity that lived within them.
One day, a thought surfaced, spontaneous yet strangely resolute. Let's do a pastry diploma and see where it goes.
With her parents' encouragement firmly behind her, she enrolled at the Palate Culinary Academy Mumbai (PCA) in Mumbai for a Pastry Arts diploma. It is here that Tripti gained a solid baking and pastry-making foundation. “It was intense, hands-on, and honestly, the place where I truly fell in love with the craft”, she says.
An internship at Gât'Oh followed, immersing her in the disciplined rhythm of a professional pastry kitchen. But it was her subsequent diploma in Chocolate and Confectionery from the prestigious École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie (École Ducasse, France) that truly sealed her calling. Tempering, bonbons, pralines, caramels — the art and science of chocolate in equal measure.
"Chocolates fascinated me because they are so detail-oriented — there's both artistry and science involved. With pastry and chocolates, there's so much room for storytelling, flavours, textures, and presentation.”
Before Caramélisé, there was a quieter chapter in her home town of Jodhpur. A home kitchen, an intimate audience, and the unglamorous, essential education of running a food business from scratch. It was there that Tripti learnt to read her customers, build relationships, and understand that the business of food is as much about people as it is about product. In retrospect, Tripti reminisces those days and says, “Jodhpur also had a very different audience and pace. People appreciated familiar flavours and comfort-driven desserts, so the approach was more personalised and niche. It taught me the importance of building relationships with customers and creating products that people keep coming back for”.
Lucknow, on the other hand, is the culmination of everything that she experienced and learned in her journey so far. Her marriage to Tirwa’s Kunwar Trivikram Singh brought her to settle in this historic city, which is where her husband and in-laws reside. In her new home, Tripti found the continued support that helped her dreams take flight. This time around, her vision was larger and her brand’s identity more defined. Here, she created a menu rooted in honest ingredients and thoughtful craftsmanship that would evolve with the seasons. As Caramélisé will soon come to exhibit, what sets Tripti apart is her strong commitment to flavour over excess, and intention over conformity.
"I want Caramélisé to become a space people connect with emotionally — a place associated with comfort, celebrations, conversations, and small everyday indulgences," she says.
Tripti’s passion and commitment notwithstanding, the road to opening day hasn’t come without its fair share of trials. Unreliable labour, delayed shipments, a vendor network to be built from nothing — Lucknow, for all its scale and culture, demanded patience in generous measure. The launch moved from May to June. But kitchens, as Tripti aptly notes, are excellent teachers of exactly that.
"Patience really is the key. Working in the kitchen teaches you that better than anything else — the ability to trust the process and understand that what is meant to happen will happen at the right time."
She is quick to acknowledge her husband, who shares her love for food and has been her steadiest companion through the most demanding stretches of this journey.
What Tripti is bringing to the city is not merely a dessert menu. It is a philosophy, plated. A seasonal offering that breathes and changes. Chocolates and cookies that carry the mark of someone who makes what she herself craves — with precision, warmth, and genuine love for the craft.
Lucknow, with its discerning palate and an increasingly adventurous appetite for new culinary experiences, feels like exactly the right canvas for Caramélisé. And come June 28th, the city will have the chance to taste the difference between something merely made and something truly meant.
Disclaimer: All images used in this article belong to Tripti Kumari, and the views expressed herein are her own.
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