Love, Labour and Layers

WHEN I WALK INTO MONIQUE PATISSERIE IN GURUGRAM’S HQ 27 COMPLEX, PARTNERS IN business and otherwise, chef Maxime Montay and serial entrepreneur Shivan Gupta tell me they’ve just had a disagreement. “It was about something small,” Gupta says, waving it away. “But those are usually the things that show you where you’re at.”

There’s no trace of tension. Whatever the difference was, it has already been absorbed. “That comes with time,” Montay adds. “You stop reacting immediately. You learn when to pause.”

Five years of working together has deepened their understanding of each other. It hasn’t made the relationship mechanical or performative. Instead, it has given them a shared rhythm—knowing when to engage, when to step back, and when to let a conversation wait until it can be had properly.

That same understanding has shaped how they move through their professional lives as well. It is evident in their career decisions, beginning with Monique. The French pâtisserie brand didn’t start with a business plan. Like many ideas born during the pandemic, it emerged from instinct, and has since grown into multiple outlets across Delhi-NCR, including The Manor hotel, Khan Market and Gurgaon.

Baking had always been part of Montay’s life. His family runs traditional bakeries in France, and his grandmother Monique—after whom the brand is named—was the one who first taught him how to work with dough and cream patiently, without shortcuts.

In March 2020, when Montay’s work in the alcohol industry came to a sudden halt, he found himself baking again. “It wasn’t a decision,” he says. “I just went back to it, because it felt grounding during those uncertain times.” He baked often, sometimes more than he could eat, and began sending boxes to friends.

Gupta watched all of this unfold. The two had met through friends shortly before the pandemic, and suddenly found themselves in a shared calm amid the chaos. “What stood out wasn’t just the food,” he says. “It was how seriously he treated it. Even when it was just for friends, there was discipline and precision.”

For Gupta, who grew up loving fine confectionery and moved from investment banking into hospitality in 2015 with Amaara Farms, experiencing Montay’s artistry was a revelation. The first two desserts he tried—Le Saint-Honoré and Tarte tropézienne—are still among Monique’s bestsellers. “I told Maxime that Delhi needs to experience this. A palate like this should exist here.”

From there, the shift was from personal passion to professional purpose. The second wave of the pandemic became an unlikely launchpad, with a delivery-only model operating out of Amaara Farms in Chhatarpur. “People weren’t going anywhere, so the idea of a bite of Paris touched something. It travelled emotionally,” recalls Montay.

The response was immediate and louder than they expected, with some of the biggest luxury brands approaching them for gifting. But what stood out even more than success was restraint. Investors came knocking within six months, and they said no, repeatedly. “If I brought in commercial pressure, it would stifle creativity,” Gupta explains.

As demand grew, structure became essential, and that’s where their professional roles became more defined. Montay, trained as a food and beverage engineer, focused on creation and operations–approaching desserts like an architectural assignment. Gupta, meanwhile, is in charge of sales, branding, people, and long-term strategy. “We are very clear about our lanes,” he says. “I don’t interfere with the food.”

This division works because their personal equation is just as clear. Working together as a couple comes with its own learning curve. “In the beginning, it was confusing,” Montay says. “We were not sure if we were speaking as partners or co-founders. Eventually, we learnt when to take things personally, and when not to.”

Over time, boundaries became intuitive. “If I feel I am being edgy, I back off,” Gupta says. “Maxime does the same. We resolve, dissolve and come back.”

Today, Gupta describes their businesses—Amaara Farms, Monique and Anvaya—as their children, each demanding attention during different seasons. “You can’t neglect one just because the other is thriving.”

In an industry driven by noise and constant validation, Montay and Gupta operate differently. They don’t chase attention, or let ego and insecurity get in the way. Their partnership—both personal and professional—is grounded in shared intent, and when that is clear, as Maxime puts it, “everything else finds its way.”

To read more such stories from Esquire India's February 2026 issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest newspaper stand or bookstore. Or click here to subscribe to the magazine.