will show you how you can build a cupcake and add elements to make it three-dimensional and give it a lot of pizzazz and attitude,” chef Toba Garrett tells her privileged audience.
A master chef-instructor of cake decorating and design at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, chef Toba’s classes, which are among the most comprehensive and diverse in the world, are sold out months in advance. Through American Hospitality Academy (AHA) Philippines’ World Master Class Series, chef Toba was able to bring her commitment to education to our shores.
For 30 years, chef Toba has studied and mastered the intricate art of cake decorating and design.
“But it’s not so much the number of years, it’s your passion. You have to do what you have to do. You don’t learn this overnight. You must go out of the kitchen and attend classes in art, color theory, and even floral design. There are several disciplines that make the cake artist and it’s the dedication you put in that will determine your success,” she explains.
She owes her interest in pastry arts to three generations of women in her family. ”But the influence was largely from my grandmother. I remember how I would watch her prepare something without the aid of a mixer nor recipes. What she came up with was so good that you didn’t need to put anything on top, there was no icing necessary!,” she reminisces.
The author of several books including Professional Cake Decorating, The Well-Decorated Cake and Creative Cookies—Delicious Decorating for Any Occasion is also known for her share of victories from prestigious competitions. She has earned more than a dozen international gold and silver medals as well as countless diplomas and felicitations, including the trophy of Les Commandarie des Cordons Bleus de France, the gold medal from Societè des Chefs, Cuisiniers et Pattissiers de la Province de Quebec and the 14-karat-gold medal-of-honor from Le Societè Culinaire Philanthropique de New York—grand prize for pastry. She cites her most challenging piece to be “a Victorian-style cake with lattice design that I had to work on for 30 days, for six to 10 hours a day.”
“To make food beautiful is what I do best, because food is more than just something you eat. Before degustation, you look at it and it has to be nice,” she points out. She claims to be less modern and more classical in her approach, focusing on piping techniques and minute details. “It always has to be well done,” she stresses. And it is her meticulous body of work that makes her much sought after, fetching US$8 to US$10 for a piece of cupcake and as much as US$30,000 for a wedding cake. “The price depends on the artist behind the cake,” discloses the kitchen celebrity who has been featured on The Today Show, Emeril Live, Home Matters, B-Smith With Style, Our Home, and dozens of radio programs. She tips her spectators who intend to walk down the aisle in a Vera Wang, to also have a cake of signature brand for their reception. That is, if you want an image of a complete luxurious celebration.
“It’s painful to see a knife go through your work,” admits chef Toba whose masterpieces have appeared in almost every major magazine in the United States including Brides, In-Style, Modern Bride, Gourmet, Woman’s Day, Chocolatier, Pastry Art and Design, Showcase, Sugarcraft, and American Cake Decorating. So she makes sure she is out the door before any cake-cutting happens. Ironically, chef Toba’s personal preference leans towards the less decorative. “I would like something refreshing. Perhaps a sponge cake with rum, lots of alcohol! And with berries on top,” she describes.
To find out more about the program which brings in master chefs from all over the world to train the students and instructors of AHA Philippines, call 892-7372 or 892-7702 and inquire about the World Master Class Series. Or visit www.ahaphil.com for information on their course offerings.
