Some of the best upcoming pastry chefs got together from March 18-20 in a highly charged competition to see who ranked at the top for the annual Fonterra Pastry Challenge. Out of hundreds of applicants, only 23 were chosen to participate and they were chosen based on creativity as well as functionality of their recipes.
Seven participants competed in the bread-making category and 16 competed in the cake-making category. They were graded on their mastery of skills, coherence to themes and the gustatory, and aesthetic qualities of their confections.
Fonterra Foodservices included the bread-making category to develop breadmakers that are competitive on an international level. Coming out tops in that category were Heng Ching Tze from Eenie Bakery with the Gold Award, followed by Tan Chee Kit from Grainloaf and Tang Man Fuo from RT Pastry.
The second day focused on the cake category for young chefs, with eight participants from local hotels. Baking his way to glory was Lee Kwok Yew from Double Tree by Hilton KL with his cake, “Thanksgiving”, which featured a play of taste and textures. The Silver Medal went to Khoo Khang Teng from G Hotel Penang with her cake “Family Tree”. Khoo surprised the tastebuds with the use of preserved nutmeg. The bronze medal went to Charles Lim Boon Chuan, with his cake “The Gift of Parent”, a beautiful creation that had passionfruit.
On the final day, eight chefs participated in the cake-making contest catered to cafe and bakery bakers. Each chef had to create a large 1 kg cake each, and mini cakes not more than 100g each, using ANCHOR Cream Cheese, Butter and Cream, as well as other staple ingredients.
Coming out tops with the Gold Award was Ng Huay Shyan from RT Pastry House Sdn Bhd with her creations Lemon Mousse Cake with Milk Pudding and Pineapple (large cake) and Almond Sponge with Custard Cream Cheese and Walnut Ganache (mini). The tangy flavour of the lemon was perfect with the creaminess of mousse and milk pudding.
Going home with the Silver medal was Edwin Ong from Victoria Patisserie with Nanas Victory (large) and Passion-fruit Cheese Cake (mini). The use of pineapple was a memorable addition to his cake, as pineapple is his mother’s favourite fruit. He also plans to introduce the winning cake at his bakery for Mother’s Day.
Winning the Bronze Medal was Edward Lau from Moonlight Cakehouse who added sago and calamansi to his chocolate mousse layer cake Gateaux Guanaja, and featured a macadamia base to give it a crunchy bite.
The winners went home with prize money of RM 18,000 in total. The judges included a line-up of the most distinguished chefs. Chef Kenny Kong, an Executive Pastry Chef based in Sentosa World Resort Singapore, Chef Jess Chiam, the Chairman of the Pastry Alliance Malaysia and Executive Pastry Chef at the Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia and Chef Karam, an award-winning scholar and baker who started his career in 5-star hotels in Canada, working his way back to Malaysia before teaching at Taylor’s School of Hospitality and Tourism.
Fonterra’s Anchor dairy products were used as one of the main ingredients during the Challenge to ensure top quality standards. Anchor is currently a leading player in the foodservices market with its finest quality dairy cream, cheese, butter and milk.
Kindly access Fonterra Foodservices’ official website for more information.
