Chef Tanvi Chandawarkar is the winner of the title of Pastry Queen India 2019 at the third edition of the event, organised by Hammer Group and Italian Exhibition Group that was held at Gurugram last month. In the New Year, the winner has already started preparing for her next big competition, Ladies World Pastry Championship, Sigep, Italy, to be held this month.
Chandawarkar, Junior Sous Chef at ITC Gardenia Bangalore, worked her magic at the two-day long competition around the theme Leonardo da Vinci which had to be illustrated through sugar displays or chocolate showpiece. “I had a great experience not just being a part of the competition but I also enjoyed the two-month preparation period. I tried my hand on sugar showpiece for the very first time, so I had to learn the technique and art that was completely different than what I had worked on before. And for the forthcoming competition, the chef is planning to take all the help she can from the chefs trained in the art of sugar showpiece.” shares Chandawarkar, who also went through numerous books on Leonardo da Vinci. “I learnt a lot about the artist and his life. In the end, I decided to base my desserts not on his paintings but the set of notebooks he kept,” she adds.
When Chandawarkar decided to become a chef, she knew it would the pastry kitchen she will be working in. And today, she heads the Fabelle Chocolate Boutique specialising in Pastry and Chocolate at ITC Gardenia Bangalore. “For the next competition, I have already started going through the rule book so that I don’t miss anything and can start working on my drawing board. Also, the categories are slightly different than the earlier competition and also I’m brushing up every technique to be able to compete on an international level,” she adds.
Talking about such competitive platforms, the chef feels that it gives the Indian chefs the much-needed exposure. “These competitions give us the opportunity to compete on the same level as the European countries with chefs who are known to be the best in this field. Also, being a chef working with a hotel, it is always fun to work on something other than your daily operations. It gives you the opportunity to read more about the industry and hone new skill sets,” she adds.
Chandawarkar graduated with the first rank from Dr DY Patil Institute of Hotel Management (University of Pune) and completed her Kitchen Management Training Programme at ITC Hospitality Management Institute.
Steps to success
Chef Tanvi Chandawarkar completed her Higher Secondary College Exam in Advance Cookery with the first rank from Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology, Pune. She also successfully completed Australian Vocational Education & Training (VET) Certificate 2 in Hospitality and Certificate 2 in Kitchen Operations.