Let Them Eat Pastries!

(4/16/2011)

Pastry Chef Ridwan Isbani of The Laguna, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali and Commis II, Eka Buana Karya of The St. Regis Bali Resort brought home honors to Bali returning from The Asian Pastry Cup National Selection for Indonesia with 2 trophies, 3 gold and 1 silver medals.

The Asian Pastry Cup was held on April 9, 2011 as part of The 8th Salon Culinaire at Food & Hotel Indonesia 2011 in Jakarta.

Supported by Bali Culinary Professionals (BCP), the talented pastry-duo were chosen to represent Bali in the competition. Ridwan and Eka faced tough competition from pastry teams from star-rated hotels and resorts across Indonesia. Using the basic ingredients of Valrhona Chocolate and fruits from Ravifruit, the competition lasted 8 hours during which the chefs had to prepare two chocolate cakes – one for tasting and the second for display, plus an additional sugar showpiece. Each team was also tasked to present a plated dessert using Ravifruit products sufficient to serve 10 diners.

During the finals, Pastry Chef Ridwan and Chef Eka impressed the judges who commented on their precision and flair. They created a unique arrangement using the rich flavor of Papua vanilla and Valrhona chocolate complemented by an Earl Grey tea parfait presented with summer fruit coulis, berry espuma and orange almond tuille.

Underling the creativity of the duo, their showpiece creation was themed as "Sun and Moon."

The duo won 2 trophies, 1 gold medal for the chocolate showpiece category, 1 gold medal for the dessert category, 1 gold medal for the chocolate cake category and 1 silver medal for the sugar showpiece category.

As the winning team, Pastry Chef Ridwan Isbani and Chef Eka Buana Karya will represent Indonesia in the prestigious finals of the Asian Pastry Cup in Singapore in April 2012.