Nikesh Dhanlal of Top Hat Bakery
Born on July 20 1966 in a home full of passionate talented bakers, it was no surprise that I, Nikesh Dhanlal, would move on to becoming one of Durban’s most respected masters in the confectionery industry through the century old name Top Hat Bakery.
I grew up in Avoca in a complex with all my cousins. I was one of 3 children. By the tender age of 10, I was already equipped with the skill to decorate novelty cakes. I matriculated high school at Avoca secondary in 1984 where I was very active in the protests against Apartheid. My activist journey went on with me through my time at ML Sultan Technicon where I studied Electrical Engineering. In 1987 I left the Technicon to pursue the continuation of the legacy my grandfather created.
The early 1950’s saw my grandfather, the late Sirpal Gobind, baking at home. These products he went onto selling on his way to work for his nightshift at ABC Bakeries. His 5 sons lent a helping hand in assisting in the sales of these homemade goodies. He opened his first business, Tasty Snacks, in Lorne Street. My father went onto being trained by Italian Baker during his time at the Enrico’s Bakery. The Gobind family later opened the very first Top Hat Bakery in Clairwood. Top Hat Bakery was established to bring that quality homemade freshly baked quality to our Indian community.
Our progress led to the opening of a new bakery in the Whitehouse Shopping Centre in Phoenix. It was here that I spent majority of my hours working tirelessly on my baking skills under the guidance of my father and uncles. I would work night shifts, weekends and all my school holidays at the bakery while still trying to study. My knowledge gained in Technicon coupled with my creativity and passion for cake designs allowed me to be one of the first to popularize the incorporation of automation and lighting into novelty cakes. It was here that I came up with the slogan of the business, “If we can’t make it, it can’t be made”.
The overwhelming support from Whitehouse led to the Gobind family expanding by opening branches in Grov-End and the Phoenix Plaza which later inspired me to open my first Top Hat Bakery outlet in Verulam in 1996 followed shortly, in 2000 I opened my second outlet in Tongaat. It was in 2002 that I ventured into Transkei in the Eastern Cape where we supplied thousands of loafs of bread a day to a school feeding scheme. In 2004 I began servicing the hospitality industry. Within 2 years we had outgrown our work area and in 1996 I moved to bigger premises in Verulam. We have recently relocated to larger premises in Phoenix Industrial Park to create a central baking unit in a bit for energy conservation and to accommodate our growing client base.
Our current clientele include but is not limited to Moses Mabida Stadium, Durban ICC, uShaka Marine World and Sun International. I have personally baked for the likes of Eddie Grant, our late Tata Madiba. We catered for packs of 8000 at the Tourism Indaba.
The journey to running a successful bakery over the years is not always sweet. The late shifts had me exposed to 6 armed robberies and 11 high-jackings. Amidst the crazy cake requests, hours and time constraints faced daily, this is undoubtedly the most rewarding career for me personally. Grateful brides who cant help but shed a tear when they see their 3 tiered wedding cake or the hugs and “thank you’s” from a little girl for her 10th Birthday Barbie cake make it all worth it at the end of the day. Top Hat remains and will remain true to its roots as a family business for generations to come…
I am Hands on in every aspect of my products and each of my valuable staff is personally trained by myself .
You can be rest assured that every morsel that comes out of our ovens is wholesome, fresh and ready to tantalize your tastebuds…..
Your in Service
Mr. N. Dhanlal