Daman converted her dream into reality by starting her bakery. She bakes gluten-free products according to the needs of her customers.

Dr. Daman Walia is the owner of ‘Kitchen Stories By Us’ in Chandigarh.

Initially, at the time of COVID, Daman started experimenting with different ingredients for baking but got successful by using millets. So she and her sister started to bake healthy products and get feedback from their close ones and relatives. Afterwards, they decided to start it professionally.

Recalling her childhood, Daman says that she spent her vacations in their village in nature and with natural products. She enjoyed her childhood and has warm memories of it. She completed a course in Dentistry and then did an MBA in Delhi. She worked for thirteen years in the corporate world and then came back to Chandigarh at the time of COVID. Then she decided to change her profession and follow her passion for cooking and baking with her own bakery.

Talking about her journey, Daman says that her dream was to become a doctor, but it didn’t happen, so she chose dentistry. She says she belongs to a Punjabi family, so she loves food and always thinks about eating healthy and homemade food products. She baked her first cake when she was in sixth grade. After working in the corporate sector for a few years, she realised that most people suffer from diseases because of an unhealthy diet. So she decided to start her own bakery to provide gluten-free products.

Sharing her experiences, Daman says that she faced the challenge of making people aware of and educated about the advantages of millets. The second challenge she faced was peoples’ reluctance to pay the cost of her products due to a lack of awareness among the people. Building trust among customers about the products that are healthy as well as tasty was the biggest challenge that she faced. Slowly and gradually, people liked the taste of their products, and eventually she achieved growth in the market.

Accepting her mistakes, Daman says that the biggest mistake in her journey was not trusting herself. She learned not to give up on life before trying anything new.

Sharing her achievements, Daman says that receiving appreciation from customers is her biggest accomplishment. Secondly, she got an invitation and recognition from Niti Aayog which was a big achievement.

Daman's role models are the ladies in her family, including her mother and maternal and paternal grandmothers, because she learned from them how to incorporate flavour and health into daily living.

To beat stress, Daman does meditation, yoga, running, and exercise. She says that playing with her dog is the biggest stress buster for her. She also likes to eat and read books to attain mental peace.

Daman’s life mantra is to keep learning and keep growing.