Philippine team impresses in prestigious pastry competition in France

The Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie in Lyon, France, has just witnessed not only the undeniable talent of the pastry chefs of the Philippines but also the people’s formidable spirit!
 
After 10 long hours of constructing the showpiece — and being front and center and before the scrutinizing eyes of the judges and the crowd, at that — the Philippine team composed of chefs Bryan Dimayuga, Vicente Cahatol and Rizalino Mañas, along with the support and guidance of the Pastry Alliance of the Philippines, stunned everyone as they showed confidence and composure amidst the pressure.

Chef Dennis Hipolito, who is in France rallying for the country, says that they did really well and that they finished on time. “We think it’s their best work so far. Good timing.”
 

The formidable team had to make three showpieces made of chocolate, sugar and ice. The entry pays homage to local tradition, says Rizalino. (Photo: Jackie Ang Po’s facebook)
 

The plated dessert is made of calamansi cremeux, coconut ganache, pili nuts and pistachio micro sponge. (Photo: Le Prochain Patissier)

The chocolate entremet cake exudes exquisite beauty. (Photo: Le Prochain Patissier)

Philippine red spotted deer spun in sugar. (Photo: Joanne Wieneke’s facebook)

Their masterpiece was presented before the press just before the contingency left for Europe and as someone who has seen and heard about the challenges the team had to endure along the way — from practicing until the wee hours of the morning to scrambling for sponsorships — I can’t feel any more proud, as do thousands of Filipinos who’ve been following their journey since winning in the Asian Pastry Cup.
 
Apart from seeing what our chefs are capable of doing, the crowd and the other contenders in the arena also saw how united and, well, loud and proud Filipinos can be. Food writer Margaux Salcedo posts in her social media, “Tayo ang pinakamaingay ditto. Sabi ng host ‘The Philippines always wins with team spirit!’ Woohoo! Mabuhay!”
 
Everyone is still waiting for the results of the competition, but whatever the outcome will be, this will definitely go down in history as a major milestone that finally put the Philippines on the world stage, literally and figuratively.
 
This story first appeared on Coconuts Manila. For more food stories, visit <http://manila.coconuts.co/tags/food>