Pastry Chef Eureka Araujo

Chef Eureka Araujo is the co-founder and creative director of Sivako, a luxury patisserie based in Mumbai. Sivako specializes in handcrafted cakes, viennoiseries, chocolates, bespoke catering and gifting experiences. As a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Pastry Queen Championship, Chef Eureka brings an international perspective to every creation. Her mission is to blend impeccable technique with artistic vision, using only the finest Valrhona couverture and premium ingredients to create moments experience for her clients. Beyond the kitchen, she is passionate about mentoring her team and driving innovation across every aspect of Sivako.

PESTO-CAPRESE-sandwich

Do you have a favourite time of the year or set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?
I absolutely adore Christmas, it’s my favourite season. It allows me to be super-creative, and baking festive flavours with my family around always brings out the very best in me. Christmas just sets a happy high in my life in December.

If you weren’t a pastry chef, what would you do?
Honestly, there’s nowhere else I would rather be – pastry is my heartbeat. Each morning I push myself to come up with fresh ideas at Sivako: experimenting with unexpected ingredients, re-imagining our signature shapes, and crafting flavour pairings that leave an impression on your soul. I am constantly tuned into emerging trends and evolving tastes and textures, anticipating what our guests will crave today, tomorrow, and beyond.

orange tart

Do your personal preferences influence the menu?
Absolutely. My palate and instinct for bold flavours and colour combinations directly shape our menu. I believe this personal touch is what makes Sivako stand out, and I’m constantly inspired by seasonal produce and global trends to keep our products exciting.

Most over-hyped bakery trend right now?
I would say the Kunafa-inspired chocolate craze. Fun in theory, but it’s everywhere at the moment.

Tiramisu-croissant

When are you happiest?
When I’m deep in production, my team is running the line, croissants being rolled and baked, entremets being beautifully finished and the team trying to perfect the smallest of imperfections, with music playing softly in the background. Our kitchen is a focused place where creativity is at its peak.

When you’re not in the kitchen, where can you be found?
You’ll often find me at home working on my operational roles. I need peace and quiet to handle the business side of things, but when it comes to design, I love brainstorming and planning directly with my team to develop our next signature creations.

INTENSE-NEW

 Favourite place to dine?
Home will always be my happy place. Nothing beats a warm plate of fish curry rice. But when I’m eating out, I head to Petisco in Goa: modern Goan flavours, killer cocktails and all the passion from the owner who’s also a close friend.

Favourite takeaway or comfort food?
My comfort food is a warm bowl of soup, simple, nourishing and always soothing.

Competition-travel-cake

What makes the local food scene so exciting?
Mumbai’s food scene excites me with its incredible diversity. In Mumbai, you can start with a vada pav, hop over to the paani poori guy outside ICICI Bank near Mehboob Studios, then dig into melt-in-your-mouth kebabs at Kebabish by St. Andrew’s Church. Don’t skip Britannia & Co. for a classic bun maska, and wander through Bandra’s booming café scene. What’s really thrilling is how every spot is chasing the next great coffee, rolling out inventive beans and seasonal espresso menus. It’s this mix of street-corner legends, neighborhood gems and coffee-obsessed newcomers that keeps me on my toes—and hungry for more. I just love Mumbai!

Which is the dish you’ve created that you are most proud of and why?
Our signature 100% Dark Chocolate Intense. It’s a six-textured masterpiece featuring layers of 70% Guanaja ganache, 66% Caraïbe crèmeux, chocolate almond sponge, feuilletine crunch, 66% Caraïbe mousse and a dark-chocolate glaze, finished with a really beautiful magenta chocolate butterfly garnish. It’s our bestseller, elegantly balanced and deeply indulgent.

petit gateau

You’re having friends over for dinner tonight. What’s on the table?

I’d kick things off with Glenfiddich 18 and gin-and-tonics made with my favourite artisanal gins and I have a huge collection of this. For bites i will serve Cheese & charcuterie board: Brie, cheddar, prosciutto, ham, olives, crackers and house-made pickles, spiced chicken wings and  roasted peanuts. Then for dinner : Fragrant chicken pulao, Grilled pork chops with chunks of Goan chorizo, Roasted stuffed chicken, Citrus salad and to finish, our signature tiramisu tres leches rich, boozy and impossible to resist.

Name your favourite city that has it all: food, culture, and nightlife.

Goa – nothing beats the local restaurants serving fresh seafood, cocktails and that laid-back fiesta vibe. And outside of India,  Rome – endless wine, best pizzas, and of course gelato!

Can you tell us more about the current menu that you have created in terms of baked products ?
Our viennoiserie lineup is all about seasonality, balance and  artisanal craft. We begin each batch with highest-grade butter and single-origin flour for all our baked products. Alongside our classics (butter croissant, almond croissant and pain au chocolat), we introduce seasonal highlights like the strawberry-cheese danish and our ever-popular tiramisu croissant. Each quarter, we introduce a limited-edition croissant