THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
KARSTEN MIRANDA
Growing up and completing their graduation in Goa, little did Lerrick and Lineker Coelho know that someday they would be selected to participate in a highly-rated British television show, as one of the best pastry chefs in UK and win the hearts of fans from England, Goa and the Goan diaspora.
When you see the duo on the competition titled ‘Bake off: The Professionals 2021’, you can instantly get a sense of their Goan upbringing, be it in their personality or style of speaking.
But it’s what they have done on this programme that is watched by millions, that has got the viewers invested in them and backing them to make it through to the final round and possibly even emerge victorious eventually.
In a video clip, which has now gone viral, the celebrity hosts on the TV show are seen asking Lerrick about what they intend to do in the first round, to impress the famous judges.
Lerrick informs them that they are making an ‘abstract tree’ that would represent deforestation in Goa, inspired by their feelings on this issue.
Given the enormous wave of support across the world to save the Mollem forests from infrastructure projects that would see thousands and thousands of trees being cut, it was no wonder that their presentation - a breathtaking Fruit Crumble Chocolate Showpiece - started trending on social media platforms immediately.
“The idea came when we were told to have a reinvented crumble on it. We chose a cherry crumble with some Asian/Indian flavours (coconut and star anise) to complement it. So we thought of making it look like an abstract tree and an axe, which would depict the deforestation situation in Goa, as it is something that we both were really concerned about given that we are both sons of the soil and have a very intimate connection to Goa and India,” said Lerrick.
Speaking about the response they have received so far, Lineker said he is very happy that they cleared the tough and highly-competitive audition and excited about the fact that they have the chance to showcase their skills on UK’s biggest baking competition.
“It’s a proud moment for us and Goa too,” he remarked.
This sentiment is shared back at home in Raia, where his parents, Olicio Coelho and Louella Sequeira Vaz have been flooded with congratulatory messages. They praised the dedication and passion of the two brothers that got them to this point of their careers and wished them all the best in the upcoming rounds of the competition. “When the family got to know about their achievement, our excitement had no bounds. After the first round of having watched their exemplary hard work, we were in awe of them and it made us proud of them not only for their skills but also for their concern for Goa. We, the family, are hopeful that the world stage will provide an abundance of opportunities to come,” said their aunt from Margao, Eva Sequeira Vaz.
The brothers’ sister Ornella, quipped that as a child, she used to wonder what families of celebrities on TV felt like.
“My brothers always said to me that I’d see them on the big screen someday and rightfully so, I’ve seen them today. I don’t have words to express my joy but I can finally say that I live with celebrities today,” she said while adding that they deserve the success.
Incidentally, when the boys were asked to rate their favourite desserts from Goa, bearing in mind their expertise in this field, they fondly spoke about their grandmother’s ‘Alle Belle’, their mother’s jackfruit cake, their neighbour’s guava cheese (‘Perad’) and their aunt’s ‘Bebinca’.
“I was a very curious kid and kept experimenting in the kitchen. My parents never stopped me from doing that,” Lerrick reminisced.
While Lerrick has worked in hotels across the world, he followed his brother Lineker to London and both of them have been working at the luxury Sofitel London St James Hotel, who they are representing at the competition.
Speaking about what sets them apart; they said it is their approach inventing flavour combinations instead of using known concepts.
They have followed this technique while using spices and ingredients from the subcontinent in their desserts as well.
Admitting that this contest is by far the toughest task they have ever had to deal with, the boys are nonetheless confident that they have what it takes to proceed to next rounds that will see one of the 12 teams get eliminated at every stage.
“I am afraid I can’t tell you much about what’s next but I can say that it’s just an amazing platform for us to display our ideas. Also, it’s such a huge production and getting to meet new people and learning from them has been fabulous too,” said Lerrick, when asked to shed light about their plans for the show.
When pointed out that their work, like that of the two other Goans who were in the same contest last year, has motivated young Goans, they replied that they hope to able to inspire people, who are not just Goan, but anyone to aspire to do better and make their dreams a reality.
Lerrick recalled that he never had an Indian pastry chef to look up to when he was young. He further added that he has been personally working on small workshops to help budding pastry chefs hone their skills.
He concluded by urging young, talented and upcoming chefs to express their artistic sides, while adding that a similar type of baking competition in Goa could help provide them with a platform.
Last but not the least, Lineker grabbed headlines in the UK media after the great English football player Gary Lineker comforted Goa’s Lineker Coelho via a hilarious tweet, after it was revealed on the show that Olicio, Lineker’s father had named his son after the football player but didn’t name him Gary.
