Redefining vegan desserts
On a Sunday morning at the De Anza College Farmers Market, the air filled with the layered scent of California abundance – fresh citrus, herbs, warm bread, and the faint sweetness of stone fruit. And then, threading through it all, comes a more distinctive aroma: the bright lift of orange zest softened by the deep, resinous warmth of cardamom. It’s a fragrance that seems to arrive before the stall itself comes into view, guiding visitors toward Orange Elaichi.
Founded by Janki Chauhan, Orange Elaichi is a plant-forward bakehouse that has quietly begun redefining what vegan and egg-free desserts can look and taste like. Chauhan’s pastries draw on the aromatic ingredients in South Asian sweets – cardamom, saffron, rose, pistachio – while translating those flavors into contemporary bakes.
Finding balance in baking
For Chauhan, the bakery did not begin as a calculated business idea. It grew from something far more personal. “Food has always been my love language,” she says. “But there was a time when I was struggling to find mental balance, and baking became the way I reconnected with myself. It was grounding and restorative.”
What began in the quiet rhythm of a home kitchen, measuring spices, folding batter, waiting for cakes to rise, slowly evolved into something larger. As Chauhan started sharing her creations with friends and eventually with the public, she noticed a striking gap in the local dessert landscape.
“I realized there were very few egg-free or vegan desserts that still offered depth, warmth, and unique flavor profiles,” she says. “Orange Elaichi was born to fill that space—plant-forward desserts rooted in nostalgia but expressed in a modern and approachable way.”
Reinventing heritage
Even the name captures that intersection of place and memory. “Orange represents brightness and California produce,” Chauhan explains. “Elaichi (cardamom) is one of the most nostalgic flavors in South Asian desserts. Together, they symbolize where I come from and where I am now—heritage and reinvention.”
The path from personal ritual to functioning business was gradual. Chauhan began with small pop-ups at holiday festivals before testing her creations at farmers markets in 2023 under a different name. The markets became both laboratory and classroom, allowing her to watch how people responded to unfamiliar flavors and formats.
Those early months also revealed the less romantic realities of building a food business. “The biggest challenge was moving from passion to structure,” she says. “Navigating permits, transitioning to a commercial kitchen, building systems for consistency and scale—there was a steep learning curve on the business side.”
There was also the quieter task of reshaping expectations. In many markets, vegan desserts are still framed as substitutes rather than stand-alone pleasures. “Educating customers about plant-forward desserts with unfamiliar flavors required patience and trust-building,” Chauhan says.
By the time Orange Elaichi officially launched in early 2025, that trust had already begun to take root. Today the brand maintains a permanent presence at the De Anza College Farmers Market, with plans for additional market locations in the near future.
At the center of Chauhan’s work is an unwavering commitment to ingredient integrity. In plant-forward baking, where butter and eggs are absent, the quality of each component becomes even more critical.
“Ingredient quality is central to everything I create,” she says. “I prioritize fresh spices and high-quality plant-based ingredients, especially when working with aromatics like cardamom and saffron.”
Fresh & local
Whenever possible, she sources locally and seasonally, particularly pistachios and citrus, which she often buys directly from nearby farms. “Supporting local producers keeps the flavors vibrant and intentional.”
That philosophy reveals itself most clearly in her signature pastries. The Rose Pistachio Bundt Cake, often recommended to first-time customers, derives its floral depth from gulkand, a traditional preserve of rose petals slowly cooked with sugar, rather than artificial extracts. The result is a cake with a delicate, almost jammy rose note layered through pistachio crumb.
Other menu items reinterpret familiar desserts through a distinctly South Asian lens. The Orange Elaichi Millionaire Slice transforms classic millionaire shortbread into something more aromatic, layering orange-scented shortbread with cardamom caramel and dark chocolate ganache. Her Chai Spiced Oatmeal Cookies are vegan and gluten-free, built with nut butter, chai masala, and no refined sugar. Even the Orange Pistachio Truffles grew from a moment of culinary cross-pollination.
“I’d been thinking about pistachio and orange for a long time,” Chauhan says. “Then a close friend introduced me to brigadeiros, and the idea clicked. I always start with flavor first, and then find the right technique or format to let it shine.”
Making heritage approachable
That instinct to let flavor lead also shapes how Chauhan approaches tradition. Cultural heritage, she says, is the quiet backbone of everything she creates. “Many of my desserts are inspired by flavors I grew up with and still hold onto deeply,” she says. “But I present them in ways that feel approachable rather than intimidating, so people feel invited in, even if the flavors are new to them.”
Nowhere is that invitation more visible than at the farmers market stall itself. The weekly interactions have become one of the defining experiences of the brand’s growth.
“Farmers markets have been transformative because of the face-to-face connections,” Chauhan says. “Kids come back every week asking for their favorites, and customers with dietary restrictions are excited to finally find desserts that respect their needs without sacrificing flavor.”
Those moments of recognition, the returning child, the surprised first bite, remain the most meaningful measure of success for Chauhan.
“The most rewarding part is the sense of inclusion,” Chauhan says. “Knowing that people feel seen and that the desserts bring them joy—that’s what makes all the effort worthwhile.”
As Orange Elaichi continues to grow, Chauhan is exploring ways to expand access through additional markets and delivery options, though she still personally coordinates many orders to maintain quality and connection. Long term, she imagines the brand evolving into a destination for distinctive baked goods—whether through a physical space, thoughtful collaborations, or simply a larger community of devoted customers.
Through it all, she remains guided by the same principles that first shaped the bakery: meaningful flavors, quality ingredients, and authenticity.
“Every decision comes back to those values,” she says. “Maintaining integrity has real costs, especially now. But I price intentionally—to reflect craftsmanship and local sourcing while keeping the desserts accessible.”
In the end, Orange Elaichi’s appeal lies in its quiet balance: heritage and reinvention, nostalgia and modern craft, the warmth of cardamom paired with the brightness of California citrus. It is a balance Chauhan discovered first for herself in the stillness of a kitchen—and now shares, one fragrant pastry at a time.
