BakeryBiz, Sept-Oct, 2018
Vandana Konidala and Kush Jadav will be representing India at the Junior Pastry World Cup to be held in Italy next year. A report by Manoj John
Academy of Pastry Arts, Bangalore, emerged the winners at the second edition of the Junior Pastry Indian Cup 2018 held in Mumbai recently. Cutting-edge teams from Mumbai, Bangalore and Gurgaon participated in the competition. This year’s theme was “Flying.”
The two-day hunt for the best pastry chef duo under age 23 led to Vandana Konidala and Kush Jadav from the Academy of Pastry Arts, Bangalore, taking away the coveted cup.
The duo will be representing India at the Junior Pastry World Cup to be held in Italy in January 2019. The competition is held during SIGEP show at Rimini, Italy. On the sidelines of SIGEP, an international trade exhibition for pastry, icecream, chocolate and bread manufacturers from around the world, ten of the world’s best teams will compete with one another for the World Cup. This is the second time India’s flag will be hoisted at the competition venue.
Further developing the main theme of flying, Kush and Vandana chose the theme of aviation. Large, tall, impressive miniatures of choppers were carved out of chocolate and sugar.
The creations made by other contestants included flying aliens, fairies, ‘pokemons,’ chirping birds, and four-feet-tall sugar and chocolate sculptures.
“This victory will give us a new identity, and from now onwards we will be known as the ‘Junior Indian Pastry Chefs.’ It will add value to our identity, and at this young age, getting a personal identity is a great experience,” said Kush. Vandana pointed out that they will be getting right back on track with preparations for the World Cup.
The contestants were put to seven tough rounds. The categories involved sugar sculpture, chocolate sculpture, individual chocolate bonbons, Felchlin chocolate cake, dessert on a plate, dessert in a glass, mini pastries and others.
The participants had to be proficient in sugar art, including boiling sugar, casting sugar, pulling sugar and more. The jury comprised Chef Kainaz Messman Harchandrai, founder of Theobroma, Chef Ajay Chopra, ‘Chefprenuer’/Consultant, Vimal Sharma, Founder and ‘Chief Evangelist’ at Bliss Chocolates, Chef Vikas Bagul, Director at School for European Pastry, and Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, author and food teacher. The participants were judged on the basis of artistic representation, technical skills, flavour and texture.
The competition had four teams of two chefs each from the Rustomjee Academy for Global Careers Pvt Ltd (RAGC) in Mumbai, the Academy of Pastry Arts India in Gurgaon and the Academy of Pastry Arts India, Bangalore and the White Caps International School of Pastry, Bangalore. The eligibility criterion for participating at the competition is that all the participants must be Indian nationals, and the team must include two competitors and one mentor.
Vikas Gupta said, “This competition is a great way to put yourself forward in the baking and pastry industry. When you are as young in your 20s, you get a chance to represent your country at a global level and be recognised by the industry people. To represent the country in the pastry arena, which is not recognised as such right now, would be a good opportunity for the youngsters and will help in casting their career for the rest of their lives.”
Kainaaz Messman-Harchandrai said, “I am here to celebrate the 2nd edition of Junior Pastry Cup. It is nice to see the kids making some amazing desserts and pastries. I would like to wish them all the best for their future.”
Vikas Bagul said, “The time has come for our pastry chefs to showcase their skills at the international level. With the globalisation of Indian economy, there is more focus on India. It offers an opportunity to all verticals of the industry to be part of this growth trend, and why not culinary and pastry art.”
