Frangipane Cooks – All things Tiramisu

We recently sat down with Aishath Anoosha Jameel, the creative baker behind Frangipane, a small business and Instagram page that has quickly captured attention for its indulgent takes on the classic tiramisu. Known for giving this Italian favourite a unique twist with bold and unexpected flavours, Anoosha began selling her creations in February this year. With limited orders available, her tiramisu has become a sought-after treat for those lucky enough to get a taste.

Read on to find out more about her home-based small business journey and all things related to tiramisu!

 

Lonumedhu: How long has it been since you started?

Anoosha: Frangipane came into the public this February, so not too long ago, it’s only been a few months.

 

Lonumedhu: How did you first get into baking and selling tiramisu at home?

Anoosha: I love tiramisu! I used to work in the Italian kitchen at Landaa Giraavaru, so I used to get to assemble tiramisu and I loved it. It’s my favourite dessert.

Then I moved to Male’ and I tried making one at home. At first, I made a banana pudding tiramisu. Then I made a classic tiramisu and it was so good, it tasted just like the ones in the resort. So, I started to make tiramisus for my friends and they kept suggesting that I start selling them. At first, I hesitated but then realized that we don’t really get good tiramisus like such in the current market. It also came down to using what I learned in years of culinary experience.

So, in January, I just bought the stuff and made it and a photographer friend offered to take photos.

Lonumedhu: What kind of cooking work did you do before?

Anoosha: I started as an apprentice at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa in 2019 after 2 years of trying for the opportunity. In the apprenticeship I worked in all the sections, including hot, cold, butchery and pastry. I chose to specialize in the hot kitchen.

I started working at Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru after my apprenticeship at an Italian kitchen so I worked in the resort for about 3-4 years.

 

Lonumedhu: You make different flavours of tiramisu—what’s your favourite, and why?

Anoosha: I’ve made 4 flavours so far to sell – the classic, pistachio, matcha and matcha strawberry. So far, the best I’ve had is the matcha!

Lonumedhu: Oh, we love matcha!

Anoosha: Matcha one is really good and balanced. But the classic is the crowd favourite!

My aim has been to introduce a new flavour every month.

 

Lonumedhu: What makes your homemade tiramisu special?

Anoosha: I know the art behind it; it’s not just like whisking some whipping cream. Making everything is an art, and because of my background I feel like I have the knowledge and expertise to know some key things such as how to infuse another flavour into the tiramisu. I also use the best premium quality products to prepare my orders.

 

Lonumedhu: Has anything surprised you along the way/any obstacles?

Anoosha: When I first started, I was a bit nervous as I have never made anything to sell like such and serve to others, so consistency was a challenge. It’s also quite scientific, the ingredients, how you fold it, all of it matters. My cream might separate or it might be too runny, so at first keeping up the consistency was a bit tough but the taste was still good. Once you do something a few times, I believe you get a lot better with it with repetition.

A challenge was Expo 2025. I made more than 100 tiramisus everyday but I had to make all of them myself of course, but I did get a lot of help. At the end it was very rewarding though, because we were sold out every day in about an hour and a half! It was a very good experience.

Another obstacle is time management. I work a 9-5 while running Frangipane, so most of the days I barely have time to cook a meal for myself.

Lonumedhu: Something we love is your marketing! How did you explore this side of the business?

Anoosha: A lot of research!!! I used to scroll on all platforms, find the trending videos and try to make videos to those sounds and such. I used to also make a lot of “Behind the Scenes” videos.

 

Lonumedhu: It’s nice to see the person behind the brand!

I have someone who helps me with inspiration as well. I wanted to stand out from the rest. There are many Instagram pages so I wanted to be a bit different and standout. The audience also reacted very well to it.

 

Lonumedhu: Are there any new tiramisu flavours you’re thinking of trying?

Anoosha: Yes! My plan is to do one flavour a month, but coming up with a new flavour is also quite time consuming. Good news is a new flavour is coming your way real soon, in shaa allah!

Exciting thing is now we offer Tiramisu cakes and have started wedding tiramisu! So you can get a tiramisu for your wedding instead of the conventional cake.

Lonumedhu: Do you ever see yourself going back to working at a hot kitchen/resort?

Anoosha: I honestly really miss the kitchen. That was my biggest passion. I don’t think I will go back though. The challenges I’ve faced throughout have shaped me to become the person I am today. If I go back, I wouldn’t be able to continue my own brand and business. The best thing about this has been building my own brand. Different people have different goals, I think my goal is to be the chef or to run the business where I get to do everything. Everyday I’m working towards my dream. I might not get there in the next 5 years but I believe I’m walking on the path that will lead me to it.

If I go back to the resort, I will obviously learn a lot but resort life is very isolated. Here I get my own freedom to do things in my own time. I get to work, run my own business, go to my favourite gym, cook my favourite meals and see my favourite people.

I believe I am more content with life right now and I really enjoy it.

 

Lonumedhu: What’s next for you—will you continue just baking at home, or do you have plans to expand?

Anoosha: I do want to expand. Expanding is a very, very big decision. It also has a lot to do with finance. When the time is right, I will expand too.

I haven’t really thought of exploring desserts other than tiramisu. For me right now its just tiramisu only, with different flavours. Because in reality, you can get almost everything here. There are so many amazing bakers out there! My business is famous for its tiramisu so I really want to continue making lots of tiramisus!

I do want to do more cooking; it’s something I’m very interested in. So, in the future I may do cooking and tiramisus for special occasions, right now its limited to the sizing I offer and such. I don’t want to rush just yet as the brand is quite young.

 

Lonumedhu: Thank you so much for your time!