This is where Dessert Galore was born, not out of a business plan or investor pitch, but from curiosity, patience and a deep love for feeding people.

Nishat Anjum, the founder of Dessert Galore, doesn’t describe her journey in milestones or revenue figures. Instead, she takes us back to her childhood: watching her mother, aunt and sister baking cakes and cookies, standing just outside the kitchen, waiting for her turn that never quite came. That longing stayed with her until her teenage years, when she baked brownies for the first time. What followed was not just a hobby, but a quiet, enduring devotion.

“I fell in love with baking and feeding people,” she tells me. “Seeing someone enjoy what I made, that gratification changed everything.”

A business that grew from feeling

Dessert Galore began as a teenager’s dream of having something of her own. With limited funds and no access to a professional setup, a cloud kitchen was not a strategic choice so much as the only possible one. Nishat started small, using savings from Eid money, unsure if she would even sell enough to justify her first batch of packaging.

What she didn’t anticipate was how challenging it would be to introduce her vision to Chattogram’s food scene. Thick, chunky cookies inspired by New York’s Levain Bakery and deeply fudgy brownies were not immediately embraced.

“People weren’t used to what a perfect brownie should be,” she says. “Reintroducing those ideas was tough, and costly.”

Still, she persisted, guided by her eldest sister’s advice to offer something unique, even if it came at a price.

Craft over convenience

Today, Nishat’s signature remains unchanged: brownies and thick, chunky cookies that prioritise texture, richness and balance. She speaks about ingredients with reverence, and about recipes as if they were living things, shaped slowly through years of trial, error and countless taste tests.

Consistency, she explains, comes from discipline. She sticks closely to her curated recipes and places immense importance on hygiene, often researching international food safety standards despite the lack of formal cottage food laws in Bangladesh.

Her brownies, now a consistent bestseller, are the product of obsession.

“Mine were dry and cakey at first, which were honestly terrible,” she laughs. “But I was determined to get them right. Fudgy, gooey, with that perfect crinkle top. Only when they met my own standards did I feel ready to sell them.”

Customers noticed. Complaints, she says, have been almost non-existent.

Growing quietly, growing honestly

Unlike many online food brands, Dessert Galore did not grow through influencer campaigns or paid promotions. Word of mouth carried it first, followed closely by Instagram, particularly Reels, which helped her reach new audiences without compromising authenticity.

Trust, in a business where customers cannot walk into the kitchen, is everything. Nishat builds it by showcasing honest feedback, responding personally to messages, and maintaining transparency in how she works.

“If I can’t show people the kitchen, I can at least show them the truth,” she says.

Behind the scenes, she now operates through scheduled bake days, preparing orders in bulk to balance her studies and personal life. Delivery is handled by a trusted team, but everything else, including customer service, packaging and planning, still rests largely on her shoulders.

The weight of low days

For Nishat, the hardest part of this journey has not been competition or cost, but endurance.

“Carrying on and not giving up,” she says quietly. “Low days come often. When they come one after another, continuing feels like the hardest thing in the world.”

Early on, she struggled with confidence, mistaking self-doubt for humility. Over time, she realised that a creator who doesn’t believe in her own work makes it harder for others to believe too. Shifting that mindset changed how she presented her brand and how it was received.

Competition, she admits, is relentless. New dessert businesses appear constantly, online and offline. But instead of chasing the race, she has chosen to look inward.

“If I focus on perfecting what I do, the people who know will know,” she says.

A support system that matters

As a woman entrepreneur in Bangladesh, Nishat considers herself fortunate. Her family, especially her father, who often helps source ingredients, has been unwaveringly supportive. That safety net, she says, gave her the courage to keep going, even when uncertainty loomed.

Balancing personal life and business, however, remains a work in progress. Missed events, late nights and exhaustion are part of the reality.

“I’m still learning how to do this in a healthy way,” she admits.

Looking ahead, staying grounded

When asked where she sees Dessert Galore in five years, Nishat’s answer is strikingly simple. She doesn’t speak of chains or expansions. She speaks of joy.

“I just want people to keep enjoying my bakes,” she says. “Even if it’s a small number. If someone has a rough day and turns to Dessert Galore for comfort, before anywhere else, then I’ve done what I set out to do.”

New ideas are already in the works, reflected in her rotating bake-day menus. Experimentation excites her. Growth, for her, is not about scale but about sincerity.

Perhaps that is why Dessert Galore feels less like a brand and more like a feeling: familiar, indulgent, quietly reassuring. In a world chasing virality and volume, Nishat Anjum is baking something rarer: comfort, made slowly and shared honestly.