All 18 students in the swanky air-conditioned baking studio have the same expression. They are in total awe as their eyes are fixed on the facilitator as she deftly glazes her signature chocolate and apricot flavoured entremets, which also features soft passion fruit caramel. Then they proceed to replicate this edible beauty at their individual workstations with passion, élan and glee. After all, it’s not every day that life gives you an opportunity to learn from an internationally acclaimed pastry artiste like Nina Tarasova.
The Russian born chef was in the city, last week, to conduct a three day French desserts masterclass at Lavonne Academy of Baking Science & Pastry Arts. “Your country is so beautiful and colourful,” she says, as she inspects the creations of her students.
Going by her Instagram account and watching her teach with such proficiency, one imagines she’s been in the industry for a while, but, Nina divulges: “I started out as a pastry chef quite late. It was my grandmother who inspired me. She would cook up something absolutely delicious with whatever ingredients she had stocked up in her kitchen at any given time. It took me years to experiment in the kitchen but when I finally did, the outcome was good, received my father’s appreciation and thought of pursuing pastry arts as a profession.”
She adds: “My professional journey began was when I travelled to Paris for a Bon Jovi concert and ended up buying a pastry book by Pierre Herme, who has become my role model. The book was written in French and I spent over a year using Google Translate to obtain the recipes in Russian, after which I spent my time trying out every one of those. That’s how I got hooked to what I do now.”
This pastry connoisseur and ambassador of Cacao Barry (premium French chocolate brand) has trained herself at some of the leading pastry schools across Europe. She received her initial training from Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Pâtisserie château de Montbarnier, Yssingeaux, and to perfect her skill, she keeps going back to France every year. “You can never know too much,” she says.
Currently, Nina consults at various restaurants, creating and curating their dessert menus, hosts masterclasses across Europe and Asia, and of course, experiments in her own kitchen.
According to her, “This five-year journey has been wonderful.
What I love most about my job is that I get to meet many interesting people across the world who are also passionate about pastry arts. With these masterclasses I conduct, I am able to pass on the learning and skills I have acquired. And, I am passionate about teaching.”
Nina is, however, quick to point out: “One of the major challenges I face is that in Russia, it is still difficult to get a hold of quality ingredients so I’m always looking out for solutions and on my travels, am able to source what I need back home.
Since I consult at various kitchens, working with different ingredients, equipment, and chefs, requires time and effort to strike the perfect balance.”
About her inspiration, she states: “My creations are a reflection of who I am. I am inspired by everyday things around me – beautiful hues of nature, my travels, and people I meet, interesting flavour combinations I come up with, textures that haven’t been experimented with and so on. There is no dearth of sources that inspire the artist in me.”
Ask her what she thinks of the culinary and pastry scene in India and pat comes the reply, “I am amazed by what I see.
This is my first visit to India and initially I had to go by what I’ve only heard from others or read online. So many stereotypes have been broken by my trip here. You have people teeming with talent and the good thing is that you have the opportunity of pursuing pastry as a mainstream profession. Also, with so many internationally recognised chefs visiting India, you are exposed to so much. I am glad that I finally had the opportunity to come here,” she smiles, as she adds her final touches to her ‘Moonlight Sonata’, a signature luscious mascarpone and cherry flavoured creation.
