Soumya Seemakurti started baking when she was a teenager.
Her mom had just passed away, and she picked up the hobby to help her deal with the loss.
Her first bakery pop-up was selling chocolate at her school’s fair back in India.
She made a good amount of money, but as she got older, her passion for baking was put on the back burner.
Soumya Seemakurti, owner of Gully Bakehouse, scoops out her dough for chai chocolate chip cookies before placing them into the refrigerator in her at-home bakery in Oro Valley. Seemakurti mixes Indian flavors with classic desserts.
She graduated from college, fell in love with the man who became her husband, had a daughter and worked as an accountant. Through it all, her love for baking lingered in the background.
It took a few years, but in October, Seemakurti set up a stand just like she did as a teenager, but this time in Rillito Park for the Asian Night Market. A banner with the name "Gully Bakehouse" hung in the background as a variety of cakes and cookies were spread across her table.
This time, though, it wasn’t her classmates indulging in her sweets, it was a long line of Tucsonans eager to taste whatever delectable masterpieces she prepared.
Seemakurti runs Gully Bakehouse, a cottage bakery, where she combines Indian flavors with classic desserts, creating treats that taste like nothing you’ve had before.
Soumya Seemakurti measures out brown sugar as she makes her chai chocolate chip cookies.
In 2014, Seemakurti and her husband moved to Tucson for work. She started out as an accountant, but in 2024, she decided to follow her heart and dive headfirst into baking.
“No matter where I went, I had to have an oven, and nothing got me more excited than baking,” Seemakurti said. “After waiting for nearly 20 years I said, 'OK, this is it, I'm going full in'. So, I quit my job and just started baking.”
That year, she started her first venture, which she called Cozy Crumbles. She began testing out what worked with customers and what didn’t. During one of her pop-ups in the Tucson Mall, she offered a tres leches cake made with rose and saffron.
Soumya Seemakurti creates her own spice blends to add to her baked goods. She bakes in her at-home bakery, Gully Bakehouse, in Oro Valley, mixing Indian flavors with classic desserts.
She said a child walked up to her booth, tried a taste and begged their parents to buy it. That’s when Seemakurti knew she'd struck gold and pivoted to create Gully Bakehouse, a bakery that serves classic treats with an Indian flair.
“I always work with fusion,” Seemakurti said. “After two days of Indian food in a row, my daughter says, 'why so much Indian food?' So fusion is kind of our thing. I fell in love with the concept.”
Part of Seemakurti’s house soon became Gully Bakehouse. She could be found in the kitchen working her magic, crafting the softest chocolate chip cookies with the brightest flavors weaved in. She even gets some help from her sous chef, her daughter.
Soumya Seemakurti, owner of Gully Bakehouse, scoops out her dough for chai chocolate chip cookies.
Since people in Tucson may not have experienced classic Indian flavors, Seemakurti likes to take those flavors and incorporate them into desserts people may be more familiar with. For example, some items on her menu include saffron tres leches, rose litchi tiramisu, gujiya truffles and pumpkin coconut kataifis.
One of her popular menu items is her chai chocolate chip cookie.
Seemakurti has mastered the ratio of spicy and sweet. You get warm notes of cinnamon, cardamom and clove that make the cookie burst with flavor. Then you’re hit with the creamy, rich chocolate chips that perfectly complement the spices.
It’s a cookie that feels like a nice, warm hug. Who doesn’t want that?
Another one of Gully Bakehouse’s fusion treats is her mango lassi white chocolate cookies. Though it’s a cookie, Seemakurti somehow captures all the creamy goodness of a cup of mango lassi. The white chocolate combined with the mango is sweet, fruity and addicting.
Seemakurti’s biggest market yet was Tucson Foodie’s Asian Night Market back in October. She had a line that stretched far from her booth, and she worked like mad to serve all her hungry customers. Before she knew it, her table had been wiped out, not a single saffron tres leches in sight.
That sold-out event is a testament to Seemakurti’s talent when it comes to baking.
She is a master of flavors, and she knows exactly what to fuse together to create something unique and mouthwatering.
“There are long days, but the minute people enjoy my desserts, I am like, 'OK, that's 1,000% worth it,'” Seemakurti said.
To place an order for Gully Bakehouse, you can visit her website or DM her on Instagram. Then, you'll be able to pick up your order in the parking lot of The Post Workspaces, 7400 N. Oracle Road. You can also follow Seemakurti on Instagram to see which markets she will pop up at.
The top stories from the Arizona Daily Star’s Caliente section for this week.
