Pinoy pastry chefs receive gold at HK culinary tilt

Some Filipino pastry chefs have proven their worth after their abilities were put to test in an international pastry-making competition, according to a report on GMA News TV’s “Good News." The Philippine team, through the Pastry Alliance of the Philippines, won in various categories in Hong Kong International Culinary Classics held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center last May 11 to 14. Nikki Silverio Misa’s live execution of her “Mango Passion Fruit Earl Grey" cake earned her a gold medal in the chocolate fragrant tea cake category, the report said. Misa’s pastry was designed to be “common," she said. Probably, it is “not the flavor but the balance and blend with chocolates" that made her cake stand out, she added.
The Philippine team competed against professional and apprentice chefs from Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Macau, Taiwan, Korea, China, and Canada, among others. Misa was trained for five months in Park Avenue Desserts, a celebrated pastry store in Makati, according to the report. For chef Buddy Trinidad, owner of the pastry store and Misa’s trainor, the “most important things you get when you win [in] a competition are when you learn lessons from it and when you earn respect from your peers." Misa said she has learned that “[p]astry requires a different kind of love. It requires patience and dedication. It’s not like hot cooking or anything that you can do magic when something goes wrong. If you fail, you start from scratch." Other winners were Benjie Lanas of Cebu and Bryan Dimayuga of Batangas, according to the report. Lanas’ carved “Joker," a colorful jester, made of white chocolate, received a gold medal in the showpiece category, while Dimayuga’s “Ivory," an all-white cake, placed first in the wedding cake display category. — JE, GMA News