Our Superior Pastry students put on Tokyo’s very first Salon de Pâtisserie event last month, unveiling a dazzling spread of mini cakes, chocolate bonbons, and creative desserts. Guests were spoiled for choice, sampling their fill of contemporary and classic pastries in this buffet-style event, all designed and organised by the students.
As one of many exciting changes (such as the integration of wagashi into the regular curriculum) that come with our revamped Pastry Diploma, this unique culinary event is a required study element for graduation. It challenges the students to produce pastries en masse, testing their ability to streamline operations while ensuring product quality and consistency.
Pastry is an exact science in many respects, and it is no simple feat to ensure all products keep their texture, staying service-perfect throughout prep and storage - especially when handling surprisingly fickle ingredients like chocolate, sugar, and meringues.
Qing-qing, the appointed class leader for the event, shared her experience with us:
Q: What was your role?
I was chosen to oversee everything! I had to split the class up in teams and gather recipe ideas for our proposal to the chef. I also had to organise our workplans, manage the ingredient orders, as well as control the quality of all our pastries during prep.
During the event, I made sure everything went smoothly, everyone communicated, served, cleaned, and helped out basically everywhere.
Q: How did you think it went?
I think we did a good job! Everyone cooperated well and had creative ideas. It’s a good feeling to see guests delighted by what we make. Many of them came back up to us to ask about the recipes and how to make them.
A lot of people were also surprised to find out that the croquembouche in the centre was made by students. They thought the chef made it, but it was us. I made the sugar flowers, actually!
Q: Was there anything memorable?
We had a celebratory drink with everyone when everything was done. Suddenly, our chef singled me out and said I did a great job – everyone clapped for me as well. That was a moving moment – I’m glad I didn’t let the class down.
Q: Did the experience help you grow?
I think I’m more confident having responsibilities now. You have to come up with answers for problems quickly and constantly think about how to do better. I think I’ve become more professional from the experience.
Our quarterly pop-up pastry events are open for anyone to attend. Come support our students and their culinary dreams and perhaps be inspired to pursue your own!
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2019/04/19
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