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SPECIAL REPORT: Modern Confectionery Centerpieces             I arrived at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in the early morning on March 5, 2006 to attend the 17th annual US Pastry Competition at the International Restaurant and Food Service Show. The competition included City Tech’s own Professor Lorenzini, on the Board of Directors and Professor Hoffman, as the captain of the jurors, both part of Société Culinaire Philanthropique’s judging committee. Also from City Tech that day, were a few dozen student volunteers, and alum Ebow Dadzie, who was one of the competing finalists.            I selected Ebow as the pastry chef I would feature in this report, as I was already familiar with his work, but curious as to how he developed his skills. Two weeks prior to the Pastry Show, I ran into him at school, where I confirmed his participation in my project, and began collecting information from our conversation. Ebow was very excited to report his participation in this year’s show. You could see the wheels turning in his head, as he explained the Theme of the competition, Carnival around the World. He would honor this by narrowing his theme to, “Venetian Carnival.” Gondolas? I asked, “Oh, Gondolas, yes, and so much more,” was his reply.
When I arrived at the show and saw him setting up his creation, it far more abstract from what I imagined. Although Ebow and his assistant Thalia (fellow CityTech alum and Ritz-Carlton pastry chef), were still in the process of assembly, his piece was clearly modern, simplistic, and  elegant, with characteristics (height, flow, color, and color gradients) that were clearly recognizable as his work.        His showpiece, which Ebow later told me was called “Visions of Venice Carnival,” was an impressive tower that represented the back of a Gondola, covered with different highly stylized and decorative masks. The tower also served practical utility with two freeform-shaped shelves, one used to display a cake. Blown sugar balls were dotted throughout, and used as adhesive connectors to affix the masks to the tower.          Many confectionery techniques were used in the creation of this piece, including molded, carved and sprayed chocolate, and blown, cast, compressed and pastillage sugar.   The topmost mask wore a jester crown made of blown sugar, in bright, shiny red and yellow. All the fun, differently shaped masks were made of molded pastillage, festively sprayed with colored chocolate. Blown flowers, which looked like exotic lilies, garnished the cake and the tower. Pastillage “claws” add drama, depth and motion. One mask, painted with an Old-World map background, was decorated with bars of musical notes you could almost hear, making this piece come to life.   The bottom part of the showpiece was faced with a stenciled illustration of the Rialto Bridge, under a beautiful peach colored sky, and coated with a thick, protective layer of glossy sugar.
The colors of the piece, bright red, maroon, yellow, orange, peach, gold, leaf green and French blue are dramatically contrasted against the rich brown chocolate background. The warm colors are primarily different hues of the same shade, so they work together beautifully, to compliment and contrast one another. The colors were bright and festive, and very fitting for the carnival theme. Lively, colorful and cheery, and combined with the motion of the piece, and the shine that reflected light, gave certain ‘energy’ to this work.   The motion of the piece is made possible by the flowing and balanced design, which takes the viewer’s eye on a journey from the top to the bottom, as smoothly as a trip down the Venice Canal. With a solid, anchored base, the sculpture tries to defy the laws of gravity with its center twists and extensions, and the cautiously balanced masks that seem in danger of toppling at any moment.
I think this is a beautifully crafted design, and I enjoy it very much. I think it is original and  creative and does a great job of capturing the theme of the competition. After Ebow was finished setting his piece up, I was able to ask him what his inspiration was. He told the story of another piece he had made, featuring an elaborate mask, for the 2003 Hotel Show. It was the first time he had worked with chocolate, and his second time participating in a competition. That chocolate mask also had a carnival theme, and he said he “wanted to go old skool - back to Italy, and the Rialto Bridge!” I asked him if he practiced the assembly once he had his design finalized, and I was surprised to learn that he never did a finished piece. Instead, he created a replica, and then built on that replica.
Included in the tools and equipment being used were a spirit lamp, small spatula, blowtorch, air spray can, microwave, cassette-feu, sheet rack, and rubber gloves. The contestants are also  rovided with a back table for their equipment, but the area they must work in is not only  extremely limiting and small, it is also extremely noisy and in the middle of bustling traffic of other contestants, judges, student volunteers, and booth exhibitors. Adding to the obstacles are the  unstable temperature fluctuations from heating ducts.   The level of focus and concentration that must be maintained under such conditions while assembling the showpiece, is a challenge in itself. As someone who prefers to do meticulous work in silence and isolation, I could not imagine myself with the patience or nerves to work in this kind of environment, and my level of admiration for those who can is paramount.   I asked Ebow how it felt to compete against his mentors, but he made the distinction, “My mentors are the judges – I’m showing them what I’ve gotten from them” (The Rialto bridge was for the Italian judges).   Sponsored by Paris Gourmet, the competition is comprised of selected finalists who submitted recipes, photos and recipes. The showpiece entries must meet the following criteria: “visual appeal, artistic presentation, technique, originality, creativity, and logical execution of theme.” It must contain equal parts sugar and chocolate work, and be entirely edible. It must also include an eight-inch cake encompassed in the design. However, the showpiece is only part of the U.S Pastry Competition. The other aspect that is judged is cake design, creatively using Noel brand Couverture chocolate and Ravifruit brand fruit purees. Both companies are also sponsors, along with Pastry 1 and Beurremont. Cakes are judged on flavor, aroma, texture and structure.   I asked Ebow the name of his cake, he replied “Dorothea di Strati,” then went on to described its components: “Sour cherry mousse, Sour cherry marmalade, Lavender Crème, Vanilla Linzer Cookie and Vanilla Biscuit.” As a volunteer, I saw Ebow’s cake “backstage” as it was being cut, and I commented to one of my Professors that the drizzling middle layer looked very appetizing to see, but she said that the judges would take points off for that. “Yeah, that’s not supposed to be like that,” Ebow explained to me on the final day of the show.
I had the good fortune of being there on March 7th, to watch him disassemble his piece, most of which was heartbreakingly discarded into the garbage, but the masks and pastillage was put into Styrofoam boxes lined with toothpicks to protect them.   After finishing third place, I asked Ebow what he thought could have done differently. “The judges thought that I didn’t use enough sugar in my piece,” he explained. Showpieces are supposed to contain 50% of each, and his was mainly chocolate with sugar attached. While he deconstructed his sculpture, passers-by asked him for parts (red marbleized white chocolate balls and the white gondola top), as souvenirs for their children. I asked him if he had a marble at home he used to temper, but he said, “I don’t use marble, I just mix it in a bowl. There are lots of ways to temper chocolate, it’s the seeding method.”   I have seen Ebow’s work on prior occasions and incorporated into each piece, there seems to have been some airbrushing. I asked him about where he learned it, since we did not study this  technique in Confectionary Arts class at CityTech. “I took an airbrush class at Paris Gourmet. It’s a one-time class for eight hours, that I paid about $90 for. You learn the technique, but then of course you have to put in the time to practice.” His practice has paid off, and now Ebow Dadzie is gearing up to open Folukie Restaurant, at 1168 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, as pastry chef. In addition, he does catering work through his company, Everlasting Impressions, creating  customized cakes, chocolate and sugar confections, showpieces, and more. Clearly, he is living a sweet life! ~*~ L.S 3/17/06

		E-Mail Chef Big E@aol.com all confectionery designs copyright 2008 Ebow Dadzie