For Immediate Release
TIE EBOW AROUND YOUR FINGER; YOU CAN'T FORGET DADZIE
It is a good thing that Ebow Dadzie likes
to run, because his career is off to a speeding start. Although he is a native of New York,
Ebow (pronounced ay-boh) strongly associates with the cultures of his Ghanaian and West Indian roots, and gains inspiration by the mahogany carvings that visiting relatives bring as wood to fuel his fire.
He
was already proud to compete independently in the 2006 U.S. Pastry Competition, but being the first person of color to place
is an even greater honor for Dadzie. At age 24, he just missed the record for the youngest person to place as well. Although
he often feels judged by his age, he would rather let his work and accomplishments represent his abilities.
His
interest in food and cooking began from his precocious childhood, when his maternal Grandmother, Dorothy Mitchell, taught
him to make black rum cakes and sweet breads from the age of eight. Less than ten years later, Ebow followed in his parents
footsteps to the award-winning New York City College of Technology, where in January 2003 he earned his Bachelor’s degree
in Hospitality Management. The training he received at City Tech gave Dadzie the foundation to develop his ambition to pursue
a career in pastry arts.
As a student volunteer and team member
for many Salon and Pastry Competitions, he was able to gain exposure, hone his skills, and get a taste for victory.
Ebow was a 2003 Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce scholarship recipient, awarded at their annual food event “Brooklyn Eats”.
He traveled throughout Spain, England,
and France, where he studied in Castera Verduzan for three
months, and interned at Restaurant <<Le Florida>>, in Gers en Gascogne.
Once former Assistant Pastry Chef
at La Cocina Restaurant, in Brooklyn, NY and Pastry Arts
Educator at the Adult Education Program, in South Shore NY,
Ebow now works for The Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York, where he prepares desserts
and showpieces for banquets and restaurant functions.
At his first solo competition, at
the 136th Annual Salon of Culinary Arts in 2004, his showpiece won first place for best sugar and best chocolate presentations,
with two gold medals of Paris Gourmet, and the Trophy of the Commanderie des Cordons Bleus de France.
In 2005, at the
137th Annual Salon of Culinary Art, he competed for the Medal of French Government, and finished
with the Silver. For the 2005 Salon, he competed through Everlasting Impressions, the catering company where Dadzie
is a pastry chef and owner, and with his staff, creates customized wedding cakes, chocolate couverture, sugar confections,
and showpiece sculptures.
In 2006, he won third place honors
for his showpiece, at the 17th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition, represented by Folukie Restaurant, his own venture
opening on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn,
New York. Proud to introduce the public to a location not known for pastry arts, Dadzie
wants the world to know “we can do this as well as anyone can.” His latest business venture will serve an eclectic
mix of Senegalese, West Indian, French, and American cuisine.
Recently, Ebow was inducted as
a member of the prestigious Société Culinaire Philanthropique, the oldest Association of Chefs in the United States.
He has been featured in a variety of publications, including the New York Daily News,
Le Journal du Patissier, The Canarsie Courier,
and The Chicago Tribune.
Ebow declined the offer to compete on his own, so that he may assist Chef Regis
Courivaud in the Food Network’s “World’s Largest Sugar Showpiece” Challenge, held on April 21, 2006 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
It was the right decision, the team won the Guinness record for Tallest Sugar Showpiece, with their 17 1/2 foot Empire State
Building replica.
THIS JUST IN: Ebow was named "Pastry Chef of the Year 2007" at the 18th Annual
U.S Pastry Competition, at the Javits Center in NYC on March 4, 2007.
