I have visited several food exhibitions in the past few years and have even read comments about some European competitions of this very year that stated the level of entries was not up to scratch, for the global stage.
Personally I believe that we all have so much to view on Facebook, Google and Blogs that our day to day acceptance of new desserts and pastries is so high, that when we go to international competitions and exhibitions our expectations are merely far too grand. After all we have all probably watched the YOU TUBE videos of the creations before us, being prepared in training videos on the internet just days or weeks before.
A surprise is not one when you have seen the product being prepared now is it!???
So imaging my surprise this year when at the Gulf Foods exhibition in Dubai and seeing the high calibre of desserts on display.
I comment about the desserts and not other items such as cakes, wedding cakes, or centerpieces because ,well they have their place in the world but I don't believe a wedding cake can really be judged by chefs-even pastry chefs. There are just some things that are too open for personal opinion in this subject. After all I've been asked by some brides in my own businesses to make some modern creations which I know full well a judge would be horrified at, yet the brides in my store were willing to pay several thousand dollars for the privilege.
One mans trash is another treasure right !!
A wedding cake can only be judged on techniques, most of which are aged and to be judged well usually is so overly garnished in these techniques that no modern bride would want the thing near her wedding.
And don't forget Im talking the Middle East . I have close friends who have businesses based upon Wedding Cakes and in their region the older techniques are definitely still modern.
IF we are going to have a Wedding cake competition then shouldn't the thing be about 4 metres high and made mostly of styrofoam with 800 portions cut in the back kitchen for the guests !!
Is technicality to be judged or pure creativity.
Most of you will say that the answer is somewhere in the middle, but based on judging parameters and guidelines I prefer to argue not. Another subject which I find little personal favor with are bread centre pieces. Few modern buffets use them, even fewer do them well and in reality the best are made from salt dough not bread at all.
I get it, but I don't.
I'm a lover of the intricacies. I love centerpieces of chocolate and sugar for it proves the correct use and understanding of both mediums. Crystallised or blotchy sugar shows incorrect temperatures or handling as does bloomed chocolate which can't be hidden or forgiven. New techniques and infinite detail are still being created and blowing away our minds year after year in both realms, I just don't see the same advances in new age salt dough techniques.
Of coarse all personal opinions and I am well aware there will be opposition.
But this blog is about the brilliance of pastry in Dubai in 2012. I just wanted to show (albeit a few weeks late) some of the entries and to loudly say congratulations to the pastry staff and their chefs of DUBAI and the GCC for their top work, dedication and advancements over the past few years. The Middle East was once seen as blip on ones resume, today any resume of worth shows at least some time worked with the Gulf Region. Our region is now renowned for its high standards, its pushing of the envelope in all areas of creativity and those of us that do work here all well know that some of the worlds most creative chefs, are born in the GCC and greater MENA region.
There was once when you had to whisper, I work in the MIDDLE EAST, there was a time people even feared coming here, but today all chefs can proudly scream I AM FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, and people will show us their attention.
Well done to all those who competed in 2012 in Dubai.
You have much of which to be proud .
Personally I believe that we all have so much to view on Facebook, Google and Blogs that our day to day acceptance of new desserts and pastries is so high, that when we go to international competitions and exhibitions our expectations are merely far too grand. After all we have all probably watched the YOU TUBE videos of the creations before us, being prepared in training videos on the internet just days or weeks before.
A surprise is not one when you have seen the product being prepared now is it!???
So imaging my surprise this year when at the Gulf Foods exhibition in Dubai and seeing the high calibre of desserts on display.
I comment about the desserts and not other items such as cakes, wedding cakes, or centerpieces because ,well they have their place in the world but I don't believe a wedding cake can really be judged by chefs-even pastry chefs. There are just some things that are too open for personal opinion in this subject. After all I've been asked by some brides in my own businesses to make some modern creations which I know full well a judge would be horrified at, yet the brides in my store were willing to pay several thousand dollars for the privilege.
One mans trash is another treasure right !!
A wedding cake can only be judged on techniques, most of which are aged and to be judged well usually is so overly garnished in these techniques that no modern bride would want the thing near her wedding.
And don't forget Im talking the Middle East . I have close friends who have businesses based upon Wedding Cakes and in their region the older techniques are definitely still modern.
IF we are going to have a Wedding cake competition then shouldn't the thing be about 4 metres high and made mostly of styrofoam with 800 portions cut in the back kitchen for the guests !!
Is technicality to be judged or pure creativity.
Most of you will say that the answer is somewhere in the middle, but based on judging parameters and guidelines I prefer to argue not. Another subject which I find little personal favor with are bread centre pieces. Few modern buffets use them, even fewer do them well and in reality the best are made from salt dough not bread at all.
I get it, but I don't.
I'm a lover of the intricacies. I love centerpieces of chocolate and sugar for it proves the correct use and understanding of both mediums. Crystallised or blotchy sugar shows incorrect temperatures or handling as does bloomed chocolate which can't be hidden or forgiven. New techniques and infinite detail are still being created and blowing away our minds year after year in both realms, I just don't see the same advances in new age salt dough techniques.
Of coarse all personal opinions and I am well aware there will be opposition.
But this blog is about the brilliance of pastry in Dubai in 2012. I just wanted to show (albeit a few weeks late) some of the entries and to loudly say congratulations to the pastry staff and their chefs of DUBAI and the GCC for their top work, dedication and advancements over the past few years. The Middle East was once seen as blip on ones resume, today any resume of worth shows at least some time worked with the Gulf Region. Our region is now renowned for its high standards, its pushing of the envelope in all areas of creativity and those of us that do work here all well know that some of the worlds most creative chefs, are born in the GCC and greater MENA region.
There was once when you had to whisper, I work in the MIDDLE EAST, there was a time people even feared coming here, but today all chefs can proudly scream I AM FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, and people will show us their attention.
Well done to all those who competed in 2012 in Dubai.
You have much of which to be proud .
