Team Café
What did the two-day contest involve? What
did you make?
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We had such limited time and it needed
another maturity level altogether. It was a fabulous experience. The theme was
Art of Dance. We were to create a work of art made of sugar and pastillage, as
well as a contemporary single-serving tart, dessert in a glass, dessert on a
plate, and a mini bijou pastry. Taking the theme forward, my idea was to show a
musician playing in the background with ballerinas in different poses. My sugar
sculpture showed the musician, and I tried to have an element of the ballerina
in each of the other desserts. The bijou pastry, a bite-sized ornamental
dessert, had showed the keys of a piano.
What are your plans for the world
championships in Italy in January 2016?
The theme Art of Dance will continue, so
I’m trying to work out what exactly I want to make. I’d definitely like to
bring in an Indian touch. Everyone is likely to do a ballerina theme. I could
focus on the Indian traditional art of dance. I’d love to look at Nataraj and
explore our spices and flavour profiles. I want to be looked at as unique and I
want to put Indian pastry on the world map. Chef Manish Mehrotra’s Indian
Accent or Chef Gaggan Anand with his restaurant in Bangkok are really putting
Indian cuisine out there. It would be great to do the same with pastry.
This was the inaugural competition in
India, which makes you the first Indian to represent the country in the global
Pastry Queen Championship.
Yes, this is the first time India will be
participating globally and it’s a great opportunity for Indian women pastry
chefs. The best of the best came from all parts of the country for the
pre-selection rounds and it’s not just about being India’s Pastry Queen, but
also about having the responsibility of representing our country in the right
way. I’m thrilled to have won and to have this opportunity. The judges Chef
Dinesh Rawat, Chef Avijit Ghosh and Chef Thomas did such an incredible job. The
academy is being so supportive of women pastry chefs; it’s a big thing for
future generations too.
Who did you face tough competition from in
Gurgaon?
One of the girls Arpitha Harish, who was
the runner up, is a close acquaintance of mine. We’ve studied and worked
together before in France. She’s now at Taj Land’s End and I knew I was up
against quite a tough competitor with her! I was also competing against my
mentor, Rashna Elavia, under whom I’d started my career. So that was hard.
Everyone else, Sanah Vora, Trisha Singh; they’ve all created a name for
themselves.
What gave you the edge over the other six
contestants?
It all boiled down to handling pressure. It
was actually like participating in a reality show. A couple of contestants’
sugar showpieces broke in the end, so it really was a competition of who
controlled their nerves better. I think I also had an edge because I carried
forward the theme from the showpiece into the desserts. I made sure I had a
balance of textures and didn’t put too much gelatine. Internationally pastry
chefs don’t like using gelatine the way Indians do and that was the standard we
had to meet. Chef Thomas, a well renowned French pastry chef who was judging
the contest, said my flavours and textures met the European standards. Also, I
showcased different techniques in my showpiece such as blown and pulled sugar,
ribbons and so on. Besides, I always wanted to be the first woman to represent
India and so for me losing wasn’t an option.
Courtesy: indiatoday.in
