News & Events
For City Tech Alums, U.S. Pastry Competition is Their Just Desserts
City Tech alums who participated in the U.S. Pastry Competition, from left: Monica Ng (Café Des Artistes), Ebow Dadzie (Grand Hyatt), Anthony Pires (Marriott Financial Center) and Anthony Smith (Cosmopolitan Club).
View Expanded Photo Gallery →
Alumni of New York City College of Technology’s hospitality management program were among the rising stars of the pastry world selected to compete in the 16th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition, held in conjunction with the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, at the Javits Center in Manhattan in February.
The theme that the chefs had as the jumping off point for their creativity was “Romance,” which couldn’t have been more appropriate given that Valentine’s Day was just around the corner. Taking top honors for “The First Dance” were Ebow Dadzie ’04, assistant pastry chef at the Grand Hyatt, New York City, who assisted Hyatt pastry chef Wing Cheung. Cheung’s cake was awarded the first-place prize and his entire showpiece placed second. Cheung developed the cake and Dadzie did the sugar and chocolate work.
City Tech alumnus Anthony Smith ’96 of the Cosmopolitan Club (assisted by alumna Monica Ng ’04, who works in pastry at Café Des Artistes in Manhattan) and Anthony Pires ’01 of the Marriott Financial Center placed in the middle of the pack of 25 competitors. Smith’s piece was called “Prelude to a Kiss” and Pires weighed in with “Love Eternal.”
Ng assisted City Tech Professor Louise Hoffman in her confectionery class this past year and had a great impact on “Hoffman’s Playland,” the City Tech piece that earned Best of Show at the 136th Salon of Culinary Arts, organized by the Société Culinaire Philanthropique, at the International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant show, held in November.
Current City Tech hospitality management student Kimberly LaCrette, who is interning with chef Regis Courivaud of Le Monde Restaurant, helped him garner the third-place prize for his showpiece, “La Romance au Japon.”
Each entry in the U.S. Pastry Competition included an eight-inch cake encompassed in a completely edible showpiece containing equal parts sugar and chocolate work. All competitors had to demonstrate the use of Cacao Noel Chocolat de Couverture and Ravifruit fruit purees in the making of their cakes. Showpieces were judged on visual appeal, artistic presentation technique, originality, creativity and logical execution of the theme.
Behind the scenes, City Tech students, under the direction of former City Professor Thomas Smyth, brought out slices of each cake to the tasting judges, who scrutinized each chef’s entry, ranking them for flavor, aroma, texture and structure. Professor Hoffman had the “tough” job of being one of the judges. “I won’t be eating desserts for a while!” she exclaimed, after performing her duties.
Professor Francis Lorenzini was president of the selection committee and oversaw the judging. Lorenzini is vice president of The Vatel Club, one of the oldest and most prestigious chef associations in the world. Its members preside over the judging procedures.
Co-sponsored by Paris Gourmet, Cacao Noel Chocolat de Couverture, Pastry 1, Beurremont and Ravifruit, the U.S. Pastry Competition allows leading chefs to showcase their talents by creating advanced dessert recipes and highly technical sugar and chocolate sculpted showpieces. Competitors pre-qualify by submitting recipe entries, photos and résumés.
3/1/05
Photos by: Al Vargas