How India's Macaron Queen, Pooja Dhingra Is Winning Hearts, One Pastry At A Time

Not many people know that Le15 was not just a random brand name that Pooja Dhingra gave her pastry shop. "Le15 was actually the address of my home when I lived in Paris," reveals the pastry chef on Instagram.

At 22, when Pooja moved to Paris to learn pastry making, she lived at the 15th Arrondissement. "That's where everything happened," she says.

"When I moved back to India and started dreaming of building something of my own; something French; something personal, I didn't name it after a trend or pastry, I named it after a place that held me while I figured life out." The idea was to give patrons a "feeling of home", when they walked into her store, every single time.

Credited to be the pastry chef "rewriting India's dessert story", Pooja's Le15 completed 15 years in 2025, and she admits that the journey has not only taught her "so much about people, business and the world of pastry" but it has also made her a person she so deeply loves today.

Last week, Pooja was in Paris to receive La Liste.com's Pastry Game Changer Award. "It's something I never imagined (to win) when I first started out, and it still feels surreal," she says in an email interview. "It is honestly overwhelming in the best way possible. To be recognised not just as an Indian chef, but also as a woman in a field that has traditionally been male-dominated - it means everything."

Pooja is not only the first Indian chef to receive La Liste's Pastry Game Changer Award 2025, she is also the first female chef to get the honour.

"I think back to all the times I doubted myself, or felt like I didn't belong here. This moment is a reminder that perseverance does pay off. I didn't set out thinking I'd come this far - but I always knew I wanted to do work that mattered. To bring joy through pastry, and to keep showing up every single day."

If there is something that Pooja would like to tell her 22-old-year self, it would be to "breathe, to not be so hard on myself".

"That everything I dream of is possible, but it's also okay to not have it all figured out. Paris was magical and intimidating, and I remember feeling so small in those Le Cordon Bleu kitchens.

"The 22-year-old me had fire in her belly. But I would still tell her, "You’re going to be okay. Keep going."

Few know but Pooja started off from her mother's kitchen and over the years, her biggest learning is that "resilience and curiosity pays off".

"From my mom's kitchen to where we are now with Le15, the journey has been anything but linear. As a pastry chef, I've had to keep reinventing - myself, my menu, my perspective. I've learned that passion is important, but it's discipline and adaptability that keep you in the game."

Pooja's mother used to run a small baking business from home and the pastry chef's earliest food memories were helping pack the orders. "Those memories of packing mom's cakes and smelling vanilla in the air are some of my strongest," recalls Pooja.

Both her parents have taught her a couple of life lessons that Pooja can't never ever forget. "From mom, I learned patience and consistency. From dad, I learnt how to dream big but stay grounded."

Pooja's parents are her biggest cheerleaders and when she won the Pastry Game Changer Award, her parents were simply overjoyed. "My mom was extremely proud, and my dad sent my picture to every person on his WhatsApp list!"

At 23, Pooja founded Le15 and took Mumbai by storm with her trademark macarons. She is a perfectionist with macarons, but years later she is still perfecting her macaron recipe. "The macaron is a humble little thing that demands perfection, and I still try to get better at it. I love that there’s no end point with it. Even today, I tweak, experiment, and adjust. It's one of those bakes that reminds me to stay humble and keep learning."

The journey has been a tireless one, and Pooja won't lie about the times she wanted to give up. When she felt exhausted and invisible. "But what kept me going was the belief that the work mattered. That someone, somewhere, was biting into a pastry I had created and feeling a little more joy in their day. That thought has always been enough," she says.

While everyone remembers Pooja's success story, only friends and family know that she has also dealt with imposter syndrome through the years. "Imposter syndrome is real," she says, "and it doesn't go away just because you're successful. For me, it showed up as a constant feeling of "am I really good enough?"

"I have learned to talk back to that voice. To remind myself of the work I have put in. Therapy, meditation, and a strong support system helped. And so did remembering that everyone, even people I admire, feel it too."

Ask Pooja what is in store for her next and she has some really interesting stuff to share. "There's always something bubbling! I'm working on some new recipe ideas that are inspired by travel and nostalgia.

"I'm also exploring ways to share more of what I have learned with the next generation, whether that's through mentorship, writing, or creating experiences. Of course, this award is a push to innovate - but for me, creativity has always come from joy, and not pressure."

Pooja's advice to pastry chefs world over would be to "be curious". "You belong in every room you walk into. Don't wait for perfection before you begin. Learn the craft but also understand yourself. And remember, you don't have to be loud to be powerful. Most importantly, don't let anyone tell you what you can or cannot achieve!" she concludes.

Published on: Monday, June 23, 2025, 10:00 AM IST