The sweet life
“IWAS born in the kitchen. Well, not literally, but I’ve spent most of my time in the kitchen ever since I was little,” confides Chef Jean Francois Arnaud, in his lilting French-accented English. “I grew up in a family of chefs — pastry chefs to be exact. My grandfather, and later my father, they were chefs. Whenever I needed my father, I’d always find him in the kitchen, cooking and creating. I’d end up helping him out. He was truly my culinary mentor.”
So begins the charming middle-aged Frenchman, who looks rather dapper in his white chef jacket with stripes of blue, white and red (the colour of the French flag) on the collar, as he recalls his early source of inspiration when we meet at Fonterra Brands’ head office in Subang Hi-tech Industrial Park in Shah Alam, Selangor.
A look of fond wonderment crosses his blue-ish eyes as he remembers his hometown in Oleron Island, a beautiful island famous for its attractive fine sand beaches and beautiful forests, located off the Atlantic coast of France on the southern side of the Pertuis d’Antioche strait. The chef reveals how he used to help with the family pastry business called Palais de la Gourmandise and from there his passion for pastries grew.
Now 58, he’s one of France’s most reputable patissier (pastry chef), so it comes as no surprise that he was appointed the head judge for the pastry category of the Anchor Food Professionals Pastry & Culinary Challenge 2018.
The competition, which aims to provide a platform for sharing knowledge and uplifting the professional standards of the local bakery and culinary industry, will be held from March 13 to 16 at KDU University College in Glenmarie, Shah Alam.
This is the third challenge organised by Anchor Food Professionals, and the first to feature a Culinary Challenge.
For the pastry category, the competitors, comprising those bakeries and hotels in Malaysia that use Anchor products, will be given five hours to create their best signature plain croissant and a selection of Danishes to be evaluated by Arnaud and another pastry judge. Rose Cream Cake — cream cake on a sable base, two layers chiffon sponge, Anchor whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Previous winners have enjoyed the opportunity of competing in Fonterra’s global competitions held in Australia, giving them priceless international exposure to further elevate their standards as chefs.
“A challenge is always good in this industry. We can discover new talents and push them to go higher and elevate themselves. We don’t just judge them; we also explain to them how to improve,” elaborates Arnaud, his accent growing thicker.
It’s through competitions like this that Arnaud has been able to build his reputation. “It all starts from zero — with just eggs, sugar and flour and you combine the ingredients, which everyone can do,” he says, matter-of-factly.
But to elevate yourself to a point where you can achieve the best pastry is not a piece of cake, cautions Arnaud. “You need to work hard every day. You grow by learning from other chefs and spending long hours in the kitchen. After a while, you’ll find the pleasure in creating something that’s yours,” he explains.
Early on in his career, Arnaud served in pastry catering and events with Chef Christian Lacoste in Toulouse. He then joined Yves Thuries (French cooking and pastry chef and two times Meilleur Ouvrier de France recipient) in Cordessur-ciel, where he had the enviable task of supervising the operations of a unique sugar museum and doing permanent exposition of sugar artwork pieces in glass displays.