ITS Students Earn Rave Reviews at Juniores Pastry World Cup in Rimini
ITS students presented Malta’s culinary excellence at the esteemed Juniores Pastry World Cup, a distinguished competition organised by SIGEP in Rimini, Italy. The talented team included ITS Lecturer Jimmy Aquilina, students Abigail Micallef, Henrica Galea, and Nirvana Falzon under the management of Mr Andrew Farrugia. Supporting the team were ITS Lecturers Steve D’Anastasi and Martin R. Cutajar, who served as mentors for the aspiring contestants.
Spanning on two intense days, the SIPEG Juniores Pastry World Cup is a high-profile competition for national pastry teams. The competition is stiff with competitive teams having previously participated over the years. This year’s theme was ‘Myths and Legends.’ Each participating team faced the challenge of creating an artistic chocolate showpiece, a sugar showpiece, street food desserts reflecting the country of origin, a modern chocolate cake, vegan sorbet, and a coffee-flavoured plated dessert. These showpieces and desserts needed to be prepared and crafted entirely during the competition.
The street food dessert element required each team to craft 17 pieces influenced by the participant’s country of origin. The desserts were mandated to weigh no more than 150 grams and embody the distinct flavours of the respective countries.
The students prepared a dessert featuring ħelwa tat-Tork mousse, local mandarin cake, Carob crumble, sesame brittle, and prickly pear jam, accompanied by warm date fritter. The total weight of the dessert was 118 grams which fell in line with the requirements. An interesting creative touch in the presentation was that they served the desserts on a prickly pear leaf earning additional points for originality. Additionally, the team prepared 17 portions of vegan sorbet using local dates and Kinnie.
Although, the students faced a slight challenge in incorporating coffee as a primary ingredient without the use of molds, they took the innovative path in preparation by utilising sac à poche, carved shapes, and spoons. Alongside coffee, the students infused hazelnuts, oranges, honey, and dark chocolate, resulting in a harmonious blend of flavours. Another notable feat was the creation of a modern chocolate cake encompassing all three chocolate types, with a maximum weight of 1300 grams.
The students successfully completed their presentations within the stipulated time, earning high praise from the judges. The French team emerged as the winners, with Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei securing the subsequent positions. Our students received high reviews and praise from the judges, especially from MasterChef Italy Judge and Chief Judge Roberto Rinaldi, who extended an invitation to ITS for next year’s event.
Months of preparation went into readying the participants for this culinary challenge, with dedicated training sessions since August. Special thanks to the Malta Tourism Authority for their collaboration and CP Trading Co Ltd for sponsoring chef jackets for our students and lecturers.
