Ann Mary Jesudas chuckles when she says how her relationship with people revolves around food. “My best friend’s mom makes such awesome chicken curry that I would head for her place every day after school for lunch. In fact, I think one reason Hannah became my closest friend, is because of her mom’s curry,” says Ann, who adds that she tends to get in a huff if the food served fails to tickle her tastebuds, “even if it’s my mom’s cooking.”
Ann after introducing herself to the crowd gathered for Space’s Food Kadhakal 2.0 starts passing around bite-sized choux pastries. “Usually when people talk about France, it is images of macarons that come to mind. But for me, it’s always choux pastry. They were my favourite indulgent when I was in Paris. In fact, I would recommend people to try every single flavour of choux pastry if visiting Paris, right from chocolate to passion fruit.”
The choux pastry we try is light and airy, the creamy centre adding a refreshing touch to the sweet treat.
After handing around tissues, Ann asks: “So, what flavour was it?” She laughs as some of us stumble with our replies. “It’s vanilla,” says the former student of Holy Angels Higher Secondary School.
According to Ann, the French make time to have their meals leisurely so as to relish each bite. “It is important to smell and savour one’s food.”
When Ann starts distributing the next set of choux pastries, some take discreet sniffs, while others take delicate bites of the pastry. “Coffee,” comes the unanimous reply when Ann asks us to identify the flavour.
We go on to try different fillings and get them spot on. The last choux pastry with a centre that tasted of cinnamon had all of us stumped though. “It’s tonka bean,” grins Ann, going on to add that the bean is revered by many for its notes of vanilla, cinnamon and cloves.
An alumnus of Le Cordon Bleu (LCB), Ann, who has a sweet tooth, began dreaming of entering the culinary world after reading a Nancy Drew novel. “The book mentions Nancy visiting a pastry shop that offered books and board games too.” And while, starting a cafe on a similar line was in her mind, it was part of her retirement plan. “I wanted to get a job and earn a bit of money first before I opened a pastry shop of my own.”
However, when calculating how long it would take before she would finally turn her dream into reality, she decided to move the plan up to speed. “I read about Pooja Dhingra [She opened India’s first macaron store and is the owner of bakery chain Le15 Patisserie] and her experiences at LCB and was inspired by her to apply to the institute,” says Ann. Although her course was for nine months, she spent two years in Paris. The two years opened her eyes to French bakes. “The French are perfectionists and so quality is a must in French cuisine, be it the quality of the ingredients used or the way it is served.”
- It’s a young, motley group that has gathered at Space, Thekkumoodu, near Law College Junction. The crowd, most of them in their mid-twenties, is looking forward to hearing Ann Mary Jesudas recount her experiences at Le Cordon Bleu Paris.
- Techie and baking enthusiast Anagha Asok is hoping to pick up baking tips from Ann, while Dhanasree SV, a law student, wants to expand her culinary knowledge through the interactive session with Ann.
- “This meet with Ann is part of Food Kadhakal, a platform for gourmets in the city, which we started last month. It is open to food enthusiasts of all ages. It’s a place for epicures to gather and talk about their love for and experiences of food. Our first gathering last month had food blogger Anjana Gopakumar sharing blogging tips. Food Kadhakal 2.0 has an interactive session with Ann,” says Shilpa S Noble, CEO of Space, as Ann troupes into the building with boxes of choux pastries in hand.
- A French speciality, choux pastry is a light pastry dough made from butter, water, flour and eggs.
- The event winds up with members of the audience sharing their food memories.
- While Dhanasree’s is of a farewell party for a friend at a restaurant in the city, for Thejas Sushin, an executive engineer with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, it is when he and a few friends decided to start an online distant education portal over a meal at a restaurant at West Fort. Anagha leaves the session with a huge grin as Ann has shared the recipe for choux pastry. “I plan to try my hand at making them soon.”
Ann recalls her first day at the institute. Her class had all the latest high-end equipment that she itched to try.
“We did not use any one of them however as our professor insisted we whip the batter by hand, wash the utensils ourselves, et al,” says the 24-year-old, who adds that despite the diploma from LCB, she has a long way to go before she can call herself a chef with confidence.
“I am still a student. My baked goods still need refinement in terms of finish,” says Ann, who plans to intern under top chefs in India. She is also looking forward to holding pop up workshops and tasting sessions in the city.
And so, what about her cafe? “As soon as I gather the experience and the funds to start one,” she grins.
