Recently Gurgaon hosted a first of its kind talent hunt in India to choose India's Best Junior Pastry Chef. The event provided a great opportunity for budding pastry chefs to demonstrate their skills while acting as a motivation for the participants to take up pastry making as a career option.
Based on overall creativity and presentation the team of eminent judges declared Arjun Gupta and Manjot Kalra of Academy of Pastry Arts India as the winner. The competitors prepared chocolate and sugar sculptures, desert on a plate and in a glass. The winning team of two members will represent India at the Fourth Junior Pastry World Cup in SIGEP, a four-day long competition, which will be held in Italy in January 2017. SIGEP is an international exhibition where different cultures and food traditions meet. While helping in sharing and exchange projects, it facilitates networking with pastry and gelato world.
The talent hunt introduced the participants to new nuances of their art which could be of great help to their professional growth. To test their creativity, the theme for the competition was Planet Fantasy. The participants were judged on the basis of artistic expression, technical skills, professional ethics and hygiene and taste.
The jury included famous television show host and food stylist, Chef Ranveer Brar, Chef Avijit Ghosh, Chef Parvinder Singh Bali and Nikesh Kumar Sharma, Managing Director Academy of Pastry Arts India, Malaysia and Philippines. Talking about the popularity of pastry making, Chef Bali said, “Pastry making is a happening career choice especially for artistic, practical and creative individuals with a love for pastry making. It might get a little intimidating for novice chefs but if I talk about myself, I drive lot of energy from cooking and I know many who are part of the process day in and day out feel the same.”
When asked about the level of preparedness of participants to represent India at an international level, the jury expressed that given the fact that the winners are going to compete at a global level, they will be judged on the basis of international judging standards. “To compete at an international level is not that easy. It needs confidence, understanding of the process and most importantly, attention to details,” commented Chef Bali.
The jury felt that the participants need to brush up their presentations skills and pay more attention to hygiene. “Their plate needs to be spotless,” was the general advice of the juries. Emphasising on their need to gain more knowledge the subject it was informed that the winners will undergo further professional training to enhance their skills. Chef Bali remarked: “There has to be a balance in composition of ingredients that they are using as pastry making is both knowledge and skill based.”
Besides knowing about speciality baking techniques, Arjun and Manjot enjoy everything related to bakery and patisserie. Earlier the two had attended a hands on workshop on entremets and cakes by Chef Ottoman Tay, who happens to be an Asian and as well as a World Pastry Cup Champion.
Stressing on the importance of bringing talent and industry together, Chef Brar said, “Junior Pastry Indian Cup is such a platform that creates an ecosystem of learning and growth. I am proud to be associated with this forum.” Sanjay Anand of Hammer Publishersfelt that the event had given much needed fillip to art of pastry making in India. “It has certainly helped us to identify the best talent to represent India.”
