Sweet Art

Chef Arti Thapa,one of the few practitioners of sugarcraft in the country,says she is looking to represent India globally

At first glance,it looks like a porcelain sculpture,used as a prop alongside a dish. But as you go about looking for the dish in question,Chef Arti Thapa politely points to the glass-like artistic arrangement,complete with delicate swans and ribbons and says: This is the dish. Its edible. The sculpture,made entirely out of sugar,is a handiwork of Thapa who showcased her skills at the recently concluded International Chef Meet 2013 held in Chandigarh that saw chefs and delegates from across the world in attendance.

Her skills at sugar sculpting and the fact that shes the only lady chef in the country to practise the art didnt go unnoticed. Chef Gissur Gudmundsson,President,World Association of Chefs Societies,acknowledged her artistic showpiece and expressed his delight on the global trend now being taken forward by Thapa. For me,it was a true honour to be appreciated by the worlds best, says Thapa,who is only a year old in sugarcraft. It only helps that she was trained by the very best in the technique,the globally renowned confectioners,Chef Ewald Notter and Chef Stephane Treand. I have always been keen to upgrade my skills and enrolled myself for a course in international certification in sugarcraft and chocolate art in Malaysia last year, says Thapa,who is currently heading the culinary and patisserie department at Food Craft Institute in Hoshiarpur,Punjab.

As delicate as it looks,creating the showpieces out of sugar is not an easy task,admits the specialty chef. The showpieces are entirely composed of sugar and sugar derivatives. It begins with cooking sugar,to the hard crack stage,around 160 degree Celsius but that isnt the tricky part, says Thapa. The molten sugar is poured out,and before it cools down,one has to blow,fold,pull,tug,tweak,spin,to create everything from birds and animals to abstract designs. It requires good knowledge of the technique as well as dexterity, says Thapa,who has to craft everything by hand in a short span of time. The winning mantra is hours of practice, she admits.

Its been a successful run for the 35-year-old chef who graduated in hotel management from Institute of Hotel Management,Gurdaspur,in 1998. Before joining her alma mater as a faculty,she worked as a bakery chef at The Ashok in New Delhi. Now passionate about sugarcraft,the chef has been following competitions organised by the World Pastry Forum and is keen to represent India.

There are hardly any chefs in the country who practise this craft. The Malaysians are frontrunners and I hope to bag a gold for India in the future, says Thapa,who was awarded the title of Lady Chef of the Year 2010-11 by Indian Federation of Culinary Association (IFCA). Apart from learning new techniques in sugarcraft and acquiring tools of the trade wherever she goes,Thapa also prepares students for national-level culinary and baking competitions.

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