ALL SET FOR A HERO OVEN
The four finalists of the bake-off reality show tell Tahir Alhamzah what made them enter the competition
WE will soon have a celebrity pastry chef, thanks to TV3’s bake-off reality programme Hero Oven. The show, made up of 30-minute episodes, aired from Aug 2 will end on Oct 25. After 32 contestants battled it out in the kitchen, only four remain for the final episode: Muhammad Naim Ramli, Zam Akmal Abd Halim, Muhd Al Firdhausy Mohd Jaafar and Brynner Eu Yik.
“When we talk about cooking shows, especially those which deal with pastry, we usually have a female chef. But with Hero Oven, we want to change that perception and show that regular Joes can bake equally well,” says co-host Sarah Samsul Ariffin.
The Singapore-based chef and fine food consultant hosts the show together with local celebrity chef Fikree Aznan and singer/actress Kilafairy. Both chefs are also resident judges for the season. At the finals, the trio will be joined by chef Jasman Saidin, chef Nazeri Ismail and TV personality Naz Rahman.
For the finale, instead of just baking pastries, the finalists will prepare a threecourse meal of appetiser, main course and dessert.
NO ORDINARY JOES
The four finalists are no ordinary Joes when it comes to baking. While they’re relatively unknown prior to this show, they have all been professionally trained and awarded with diplomas in either food preparation, culinary arts or patisserie studies (French or Belgian bakery studies specialising in pastries and sweets).
They are also experienced professionals in their field (this writer was lucky enough to have sampled a cupcake prepared by one of the finalists for the interview and it left him craving for more).
Muhammad Naim, 25, who works at a kitchen of a five-star hotel in the city, never thought he’d make it this far. Initial strong family support made him submit his audition video, showing him preparing a molten lava cake.
“I’d say my specialty is more in preparing food like pasta and such and baking is not really my thing. What I knew about baking was perhaps just what I learnt in college and the experience gained when I began my career at a pastry kitchen.
“But when my family insisted that I audition for the show, and when they helped record the video of me preparing the cake, their excitement somehow rubbed off. To cut a long story short, here I am, preparing for the finale,” says Muhammad Naim, who may change his career direction. CONFIDENCE BOOSTER
Confidence is definitely what the other finalist Zam Akmal agrees among which he had developed by taking part in the reality show.
“The main reason why I joined Hero Oven was to boost my self-esteem. I was a very shy person before this. Fortunately, the camera and the pressure of being on national TV have helped,” says the contestant who owns a cake studio called Mad About Cake.
Together with two other partners, the company has been selling cakes for the past nine years. The cake business, he says, is getting more competitive and he needs to explore more avenues for his business.
“Whether I win or not, there are endeavours that I’d like to explore,” says the 3D cake expert who plans to write a book on cake decoration.
“God willing, I will be like Buddy Valastro (of Cake Boss fame),” says the 29-yearold Muar-born finalist. FAMILY BAKER AND ASPIRATIONAL HOST
For 24-year-old Eu, the announcement on TV3 for auditions was his prompt to give it a go.
“I’ve been teaching for the past nine years and I thought this may be a good chance to test my skills. But it never occurred to me that I’d end up in the finals,” says Eu, who has been helping his mother bake cakes since age 15.
The family still sells cakes and Eu takes charge now. Eu also offers cooking demonstration services.
While baking is his profession, Muhd Al Firdhausy a.k.a. Dausi says it was also the bright lights that attracted him to send in his audition video. “Sometimes, when I’m at work, I imagine that I’m on a TV show and pretend that I’m a TV host,” says the 28-year-old finalist, who wants to be like the garrulous Datuk Chef Wan or Datuk Aznil Nawawi.
“Now that I’ve come this far, I hope I’m on the right track to achieve my ultimate dream of becoming a TV host,” says Dausi, whose specialty is carrot cake.
Although he didn’t turn up for the interview with said specialty, the cupcake he brought was delicious enough to surprise this writer.
tahir.alhamzah@nst.com.my