Chef Desmond Lee Wins the Sixth Edition of Asian Pastry Cup
The sixth edition of the prestigious Asian Pastry Cup awarded the Singapore team, led by Chef Desmond Lee. Happening in conjunction with Food&Hotel Asia 2016 at the Singapore Expo, this mark’s Singapore’s fourth win since the prestigious contest’s inception in 2006.
Assisted by his team member, Pang Yun Kian, the Singaporean team clinched the top spot by presenting pastry creations to a panel of esteemed judges. Aside from the 11 jury members from each participating nation, this year’s panel also included World Pastry Cup founder, Gabriel Paillasson, as well as the pastry chef, Pierre Hermé, who acted as the International President of the Jury.
The winning nation distinguished themselves through their creative plated dessert comprising Strawberry Compote with Lychee Granite Vanilla Mascarpone Cream, Lychee Sorbet Citrus Pain de Gens. The 2014 edition’s winner, Malaysia, came in second place this year and was led by Chef Chin Kheng Lim.
On the podium for the first time was team India, which came in third place and was led by Chef Amit Sinha. These three national teams have earned a spot in the World Pastry Cup finals happening during Sirha 2017 in Lyon, France. Two other teams, Indonesia and Thailand, have obtained the coveted “Lyon Passport”, which also guarantees them a spot in the Lyon grand finals.
In addition, the prize for Best Taste went to Indonesia, while the prize for Best Display was awarded to the Philippines. The competition also recognised the Most Promising Talent, which was won by Chef Mukesh Singh Rawat from India.
Embracing the digital age, this marks the competition’s first year live-streaming the pastry-making action on its dedicated website, YouTube and Youku. The live stream broadcasted all of the competition’s key moments, including the Japanese demonstration team, which presented a stunning ice sculpture. The four-man team will are automatically qualified for the World Pastry Cup.
The Asian Pastry Cup 2016 winners:
Gold: Singapore
Silver: Malaysia
Bronze: India
Lyon Passport: Thailand and Indonesia
Best Display: Philippines
Best Taste: Indonesia
Best Plated Dessert: Thailand
Best Chocolate Cake: Malaysia
Best Sugar Showpiece: Singapore
Best Chocolate Showpiece: India
Best Team Spirit: Philippines
Most Promising Talent: Chef Mukesh Singh Rawat, India
Value creation, the key to success
The Asia Pacific food market is constantly evolving with new trends influencing consumer eating habits creating many different issues for manufacturers aiming to capitalise on the food market. For businesses to thrive and sustain in the long term, they need to continually leverage technology, think out of the box with new product ideas to create value, and be nimble in order to rise to changing consumer needs.
FHA set the stage for businesses to converge, introduce new innovative concepts, network and build strategic alliances. At the opening ceremony of FHA, S. Iswaran, the Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) and Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association (SFMA) with the Federation of Indian Food Importers (FIFI). In a signal of their commitment to expand Singapore company presence in the Indian market, the MOU will involve collaboration amongst the three parties to promote information exchange, form strategic business alliances, and organise activities such as trade and study missions, and joint retail and food services promotions.
FHA2016 showcased new, innovative products by local and international exhibitors including Gelato Cool Box which allows artisan gelato-makers to take their business outside the confines of a store; a cooking appliance by Rational Cooking Systems that can grill, steam, gratinate, bake, rise, roast, stew, poach or blanche just by a push of a button, and a mobile key app by Salto Systems that communicates securely via the Cloud, enabling guests to receive their room keys on their mobile devices. Other notable products include the Singapore Sling Ice Cream, Genevieve Scallop Mousse, and Silver Hill Ducks by Silver Hill Foods which is currently served in TungLok restaurants, Legendary Hong Kong, London Fat Duck among others
Exhibitors from Singapore, such as Thong Siek Food Industry and Chocoelf, are showcasing their Otah in a can, and sugar free chocolates respectively.
“The public reception of the Silver Hill Duck since its launch two years ago at FHA2014 has been nothing short of exceptional. We have seen a 400 per cent rise in the consumption of the ducks and it further underline the maturity of Singapore in its ability to appreciate and respond to quality produce,” said Mr. Micheal Briody, Chief Executive Officer, Silver Hill Foods.
FHA2016 International Conference a Constant Fount for Learning
In addition to its array of exhibitors, FHA2016 also brought vast networking opportunities for international and local businesses.
The FHA2016 International Conference is Asia’s largest and most influential biennial learning and networking event for the food and hospitality industries, bringing a platform to learn from leading international experts from top hotels, resorts, food manufacturing and retailing, and technology firms. More than 90 experts will address topics that are trending globally, such as smart technology integration for improved operational efficiency, menu engineering, and sustainable kitchen space design.