PROJECT 1 : CUPCAKE CARNIVAL
August
2014
Stage 1 - Preparation
29th August, Friday.
The checklist :
An industrial kitchen.
687 cupcakes(8 flavours)
25 oreo tarts (192 slices)
50 quiches
40+ posters and signs
9 hours
The only challenge that lay ahead for us was the
nightmare of people not showing up and buying everything we had made.
We had received an overwhelming response via text,
email and other social media.
1. But how many of those people would
actually take time off their busy schedules to come for a bake sale?
2. Would they find transport in time?
3. Would they find the address with ease?
4. Would they be disappointed when they
arrived and leave?
SO MANY QUESTIONS.
And boy, were they answered the next day.
Answers:
1. 350+ people would take time off their
busy schedules to come for a bake sale
2. Yes, they would.
3. With a little help from the number
provided on promotional posters, they would.
4. Absolutely not!
Stage 2: The Sale.
30th August, Saturday.
We started the day out a little behind schedule due to
arbitrary reasons like bad traffic and lack of muscle to carry more than 3
boxes of cupcakes at a time.
We arrived at the venue by 12 noon and started icing
cupcakes in the library the minute we got there. I mean, people would be arriving
in less than an hour! With only one piping bag (the other one had technical
difficulties) icing almost 700 cupcakes, we had to rotate icers every 100 or so
cupcakes. Speaking from first hand experience, your wrists hurt!
Our first customer:
Arrived: around 12:30. (1/2 an hour early).
Details: Resident of Sobha Suburbia, a middle-aged
baker who has had her fair share of bake sales and was kind enough to rummage
through her purse to give us exact change to help us with future transactions .She
bid us adieu with words of advice and a “good luck girls.”
The next few hours were an honest blur.
You know how in the movies there are flashes of random
memories?
But one thing that was vivid in our memories wasgreeting
the SKID kids who had graciously accepted the invitation to come see what the
sale would be like. They hung up details about their school and had flyers that
they handed out to customers shuffling in and out. When we finally
convinced them to eat something, they clearly enjoyed the oreo tarts the most.
It was great to have them see first hand where the money going to their school
was coming from. As Ms. Jesse (their principal) rightly said “It’ll make them
appreciate it a little bit more.”
Overall, the day ended with smiles on everyone’s faces
and finally getting to sit down without the overbearing rush of expecting
someone beckoning to go run and get something for them.
Stage 3: The aftermath/reveal
(Ruchika) :
Later that day, at around 10 in the evening, Ayushi,
calls and says, “64,180.”
No hi, no hello, no “how are you doing, mate?”
“64,180”
So, naturally, I’m just like “what? You ok?”
She explains further,voice shaking, “We collected
64,180 today.”
Me, “No.”
Her, “Yes.”
Me, “No way, count again.”
Her, “I know EXACTLY how you feel, I’ve counted almost
10 times now, the number doesn’t change.”
One thing you should know about Ayushi, she has OCD,
so if she says “10 times” I could count on some meticulous counting from that
woman.
So I say “Okay, so we have to remove the costs
now.”
She says, “Done.”
Me, “Okay, how much is it now?”
Her, “64,180”
Me, “Oye, we have more than 20k as costs, this is why
you’re going to fail math.”
Her, “Actually, I already removed the costs before
calling you.”
Me, “You can’t be serious.”
Okay, I’m a bit embarrassed by the next part, but it
has to be said.
For the next 10 minutes or so we squeal like baby pigs
on the phone.
NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING.
We were proud, to say the least.
Funny how each minute we spent sweating, limbs
cramping, unable to move from exhaustion, was so worth 5 digits. 64,180.
The moment that realization set in, that we would do
it all over again was when we realized all of us were here to stay. To do this
all over again. Over and over.
Our first project. Estimate revenue :45,000
Actual revenue? 64,180.
How? I don’t know. Maybe all the generous
contributions? Maybe the 10 and 20 rupee changes people refused to take? Maybe
we got lucky?
Does it matter? We weren’t at a loss.
Every rupee we earned was used to its best, now isn’t
that what, matters?
*Our grade + their friends honestly deserve the
biggest shout-out for helping make these two days an absolute success. It
would’ve been a nightmare without those extra hands around to pick up our
slack.
From making posters to folding boxes to sticking logos
to filling patty pans with batter to just wiping the sweat off a baker’s brow,
we are forever grateful for your contribution to the event’s consummation.
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