Sivaraju started cooking at age seven; her parents were both great cooks, Sivaraju said and growing up in South India, her dad introduced her to a wide range of food. Sivaraju passed her love of cooking down to her son, who started helping her in the kitchen at 18-months-old.
“We think [about] food every minute in the house all that time,” Sivaraju said. “I live for food.”
Respecting the craft
According to Sivaraju, she prioritizes using high-quality ingredients to provide the community with organic, clean and flavorful dessert options.
“Everything is organic,” Sivaraju said. “I try to avoid all the preservatives or any add-ons and any artificial things. I like to add flavors like fresh fruit.”
Sivaraju said she is known mainly for her eggless gulab jamun cake and pistachio and crème brûlée macarons. She also recently expanded menu offerings to include sourdough products.
Current basilflower products include strawberry, matcha and vanilla bean French macarons, pecan pie bars, sourdough focaccia bread and mini cakes. Sivaraju also offers full-size cakes in a variety of styles, many of which are topped with fresh flowers from her garden.
Sivaraju grows a variety of herbs and plants in her garden, including jasmine, butterfly pea flower and lemon verbena. She incorporates them into her desserts to add flavor, natural color and garnish; her favorite is the lemon verbena.
From the oven
Sivaraju frequently rotates the menu to highlight seasonal flavor combinations, she said. It takes her anywhere from four to six weeks to develop the specialty menu.
“You have to make [the flavors] before, taste testing and everything, you have to take the pictures and then you then you start selling,” Sivaraju said. “You have to plan.”
Holiday flavors will be available from October through January. She plans to incorporate new items, such as sourdough cinnamon rolls to the menu. Sivaraju also sells special macaron flavors to celebrate Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, in October.
Next steps
In the past, Sivaraju has hosted events to cook and bake for patrons at her home. In October, she plans to resume hosting with a new event for basilflower patisserie supporters to meet one another and visit the garden where she harvests ingredients. Sivaraju will also accept pre-orders so attendees can pick up desserts during this time.
Sivaraju will require RSVPs for the two-hour event. More details will be provided on the basilflower patisserie Instagram.
Looking ahead
Sivaraju runs the bakery from her home with pre-order pickup available every Saturday from 9-11 a.m. She plans to expand pickup times to include Friday evenings in the future to give customers more opportunities to order from basilflower patisserie.
