By Yang Mien-chieh and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Two Taiwanese pastry chefs earlier this month won gold awards at the 10th edition of the Puglia Cake Festival in Italy, marking the second consecutive year that the duo have been recognized with top awards.
Alice Wang (王天青) won the gold award in category M with “Fantasy Cupcakes Display,” while Kate Shen (沈芳琪) took home gold in category B with “Royal Icing Cake.”
Wang said her winning piece incorporated a blend of techniques including royal icing, pulled sugar and fondant to recreate precious artifacts she admired during her visits to the National Palace Museum.
Pastry chef Alice Wang’s winning pieces titled “Fantasy Cupcakes Display” are pictured in an undated photograph.
Photo courtesy of Wang
Wang said she hoped to showcase the richness and diversity of Taiwan’s museum collection to the world by transforming historical relics into a novel form of edible art, and help more people discover Taiwan’s beautiful and precious cultural heritage and artifacts through international competitions and sugar art.
Her gold-winning creation last year drew inspiration from Taiwan’s traditional corner stores and the headdresses worn at Paiwan indigenous wedding ceremonies, she said.
Wang had told foreign competitors about goods sold at traditional corner stores and shared childhood memories associated with them, while also introducing the diversity and richness of Taiwan’s indigenous cultures.
Pastry chef Kate Shen’s winning piece titled “Royal Icing Cake” is pictured in an undated photograph.
Photo courtesy of Shen
Shen’s creation featured a crown as its main top-layer motif, a dark green middle layer adorned with white cranes — symbolizing auspicious blessings — a vibrant red shoulder cloak, and a red “horse face skirt” bottom layer with intricate gold embellishments, simulating the elegant and grand texture of a Song dynasty bridal wear.
Wang and Shen, who received vocational education in Taiwan, specialize in incorporating everyday experiences into their creations. They are preparing for upcoming competitions in the UK and Japan, aiming to further bring Taiwanese culture onto the global stage through edible art.