IO – Chef Glen N.P. Rotinsulu and chef Christian Dewabrata S. will represent Indonesia in the Asian Pastry Cup 2020 after they won the Indonesia Pastry Cup 2019 held by Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts (APCA) Indonesia located in Alam Sutera. The competition was participated in by three teams each, individually representing APCA Indonesia, Grand Hyatt Hotel Indonesia, and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Indonesia.
Each team was ordered to create a chocolate display, sugar display, chocolate cake, and plated dessert. The teams were given 10 hours to complete the four dishes.
“We are proud to be able to represent Indonesia in the Asian Pastry Cup 2020 in Singapore, in April,” said Christian. The team has eight months to continue to improve on their skills. “We must increase our abilities, so we can give our best and make achievements,” he said.
Glen and Christian will compete with teams from Japan, South Korea, and Australia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Taiwan, Macao, and other Asian nations. If they can succeed in the competition, they will be sent to the World Pastry Cup 2021 in Lyon, France.
Developed in Europe in the 17th century, pastry is becoming increasingly popular in Indonesia as home-made culinary businesses rise. Pastry is no longer just a dessert or an accompaniment to tea but is now a part of the public’s lifestyle.
This can be seen by the proliferation of pastry competitions, the most prestigious being the World Pastry Cup or Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie held biennially in Lyon, France. A long process must be gone through a pastry chef team to participate in the competition, starting from national to continental selection, before being able to compete in the international tournament.
The Indonesia Pastry Cup 2019’s jury is headed by legendary pastry master chef from France, Jean-Francois Arnoud, who received his Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF), the highest degree of the profession, from the French government.
Other juries include Indonesia Pastry Alliance (IPA) Chairman chef Rahmat Kusnedi, IPA Committee Team I Made Kona, and Asian Pastry Cup Director chef Vincent Bourdin.
Every team will judge beauty, technique, neatness, and working attitude during the process. The scoring criteria consist of 60% taste, specifically for the chocolate cake and plated dessert, and 40% on appearance, specifically for the chocolate display and sugar display.
MOF Jean-Francois Arnoud, who is one of the founders of APCA International, believes Southeast Asia to be one of the new powerhouses in the pastry world. “The quality of Asia’s chefs has great potential in the world pastry scene, even comparable to European pastry chefs. Previously, Japan, which always excelled in the world arena, this year Malaysia won a gold medal in the 2019 World Pastry Cup,” said Jean-Francois Arnoud. (Erpe)