Chef Pooja Masurkar is a celebrated vegan pastry chef, culinary innovator, and the founder of Plant Alchemy — a conscious baking school where ingredients are clean, techniques are precise, and food becomes a form of self-expression.
With a career spanning professional kitchens, culinary education, and food entrepreneurship, Pooja’s journey has always been rooted in purpose.
She is the founding chef and menu designer at Pause, a beloved vegan café in Bandra, Mumbai, where she led the creation of an entirely plant-based, wholesome menu — from concept to execution — that blends nourishment with indulgence.
From 2018 to 2022, she also ran KaYa, a farm-to-table restaurant in Ladakh, where she worked hands-on with hyperlocal produce and developed menus in close collaboration with farmers, foragers, and traditional food cultures of the region.
Through her online baking school, Pooja has mentored over 10,000 students across India and beyond — from passionate beginners to professional chefs — helping them master the art of gluten-free, vegan baking.
Today, at Plant Alchemy, she brings all of this together: deep technique, seasonal awareness, joyful experimentation, and a quiet but powerful belief — that food can be a tool for healing, artistry, and inner transformation.
“I don’t just teach people how to bake. I teach them how to trust their hands, their ingredients, and their instincts — and to find their own voice in the kitchen.”