I N T E R V I E W
BAKERY REVIEW
A Passion for Pastries By Sharmila Chand As a little girl, she was fascinated with ovens, patisserie and loved to watch people baking. Little did she know then that baking was destined for her as a profession. Today, Debasmita Pradhan holds a responsible position as Assistant Pastry Chef, at The Leela Palace Udaipur, where she is leading the pastry department of the hotel with her innovative ideas. She has shown great creativity in revamping the dessert menus of the Dining Room and Sheesh Mahal, two of the restaurant options at the luxurious hospitality property where her present tenure is. Prior to the present assignment, she has worked at Le Cirque, the award winning restaurant at The Leela Palace New Delhi, and The Leela properties in Bangalore and Mumbai. Guests staying at The Leela Palace Udaipur can’t stop raving about the artisan chocolates placed in their rooms, which are painstakingly hand-crafted and individually garnished by Debasmita each day. Ask her what she really enjoys about pastry making and she says that the creativity and excitement of doing something new each day is her favourite part about being an Assistant Pastry Chef. The excerpts of the interview follow: What is the current trend in Indian bakery industry? The focus is on uplifting flavours and getting back to basics, where the recipes would not be changed but the size and the texture will vary. Keeping it simple, natural and contemporary is the trend in the Indian bakery industry. Stand-alone specialty bakery stores like those specialising in brownies or tarts or cupcakes are also becoming popular. This is another important trend. How did you become an Assistant Pastry Chef? During my initial training, I used to spend time in the pastry section and then began to develop a love affair with breads and chocolates that has carried on till date. I also enjoy the mix of creativity and strict discipline that one inculcates while working in the pastry section. All these factors induced me to make my mark in the realm of pastry making. What are your hot selling bakery items? We, at The Leela Palace Udaipur continually innovate desserts and sweet delights to offer to our guests. Some of our creations for which we get positive guest feedback are cupcakes, Le Cirque’s Creme Brulee, tiramisu, and the trio of chocolate, fondant and multigrain croissants.
36
What is the demand these days in the Indian bakery industry? There is a huge demand for take-away desserts and breads. People are nowadays demanding simple and non complicated desserts and bite sized sweets and snacks. What about the health quotient? How do you take care of that aspect? Baking sinfully delicious yet healthy dishes is one of our objectives at The Leela Palace Udaipur. While using low fat and sugar free ingredients in desserts is one way to achieve this, we also believe in preparing healthy desserts by using ingredients that are high on health factor and taste as well, like whole unpolished grains and fresh fruits. We keep in mind the nutritional requirement of our guests who are increasingly leading stressful lifestyles. We offer multi-grain croissants, herbs and cereal toast for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, we offer our signature homemade sorbets that are both low on sugar and use fresh fruits and natural ingredients. What is your favourite tool and why? My sugar thermometer and colour dust brush are my favourite tools. I just love to play with them. What are the challenges a Bakery Chef has to face in her/his job?
Please name three and explain The three important challenges a Bakery Chef faces in her/his job are the challenge of being creative with new ideas, the challenge of running out of some of one’s favourite ingredients which are not easily available, and the challenge of nurturing new talent and training them to perform up to good standards. What do you like the most about your job? Chocolates are the favourite facet of my job! I am a chocoholic and I love to innovate with chocolates in every possible way I can. What is your strength as a Bakery Chef? Complete command over know-how and my kitchen is my strengths. What are you passionate about besides baking? Dancing is my another passion. I am a national level Odissi dancer. How do you like to de-stress? My leisure time is mostly spent at the spa. What are your dreams? My aspirations are high. I want to be the best in my trade and open my own pastry shop.
Dec-Jan ’13