First Prize in the Dilmah Tea Maker's Tea-Inspired Dessert Competition 2024!
Congratulations to Angliss Certificate IV in Patisserie student Yeji who has won first prize in the 2024 Dilmah Tea Maker's Tea-Inspired Dessert Competition, earning a visit to Dilmah in Sri Lanka.
Yeji expressed her happiness with her achievement, noting that the win significantly boosted her confidence. "Today will be remembered as one of my best days, not only because I won the competition, but because I've realised that I'm a lucky person to have a lot of good people around me supporting my goals."
Despite not a tea drinker initially, Yeji became fascinated with pairing tea in desserts through weeks of practice, culminating in her winning creation, 'Mille-Feuilletine.' On her upcoming journey to Sri Lanka, she said, "I'm imagining all the varieties of teas waiting for me to try at Dilmah in Sri Lanka. The opportunity to meet many new people, including tea experts and chefs from around the world, truly makes my heartbeat with excitement as it will broaden my horizons across study, career, and life."
During a pre-competition Masterclass held in May, we caught up with Dilmah CEO and Chairman Dilhan C. Fernando, who provided students with valuable tips on tea brewing and flavour profiles for creating plated desserts. When asked about the motivation behind developing this competition, he said: "Tea has such a beautiful synergy with dessert. From a wellness aspect it has such a positive interaction with the body in terms of managing and synthesising sugars. From a taste aspect, tea can push and pull flavours. It can enhance a dessert, and when creatively executed, it can be the difference between a regular dessert and an extraordinary one."
Judges for the inaugural competition held at our Melbourne campus included General Manager at Hilton Melbourne Jeremy Hilton, Dilmah Ambassador Chef Peter Kuruvita, Dilmah Marketing and Brand Activations Manager Anton Goss and Angliss Patisserie/Bakery Teacher Selvana Chelvanaigum.
For Jeremy it was an eye-opening adventure. "Every one of the students was so committed and passionate. We are a people business and I love seeing people with passion. This is a key reason to be associated with William Angliss Institute and support the industry."
Speaking to the students and guests at the award ceremony, Jeremy said that it was an impressive experience for all the judges. "If I had a pastry shop, I would hire you all. Each of you are extraordinarily impressive and hard working. I would put your desserts on the menu at the Hilton and they could also go on tables at the best restaurants in the world."
Second prize was awarded to Anne Tharanchanog Udomsri, winning a night at the Hilton and a Dilmah voucher. TeeTran Tri Thien secured third prize, receiving a Club Chef voucher. Anne and TeeTran also received a copy of Afternoon Tea for the 21st Century by Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company.
Inaugural Competition
This inaugural competition was open to Certificate III in Patisserie and Certificate IV in Patisserie Angliss students with each place winner completing Certificate IV in Patisserie. Dilmah aims to grow the competition and include other training providers in the future and continue to inspire emerging chefs to innovate using tea.
Anton explained that collaborating with their previous Australian National Champion in the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge, Chef Selvana, in fostering the next generation of hospitality leaders, was an excellent opportunity to give students insights into how they can differentiate themselves once they enter the industry.
Selvana was proud of her students and pleased to see how well they used Dilmah tea to bring out an array of flavours and excel in many technical areas. "The students showed professionalism in using a high level of culinary techniques such as tempering, sugar work and making ice cream. Their plating of the desserts, with all the different textures, showcased techniques that you would only see in fine dining restaurants," she explained.
Impressed with the level of competition on the day, Peter gave students feedback to inspire them to reach even higher. "What really surprised me was the individuality of each of the desserts created. The level and quality of the skills were great to see. They were willing to try different things and it shows that they have had a broad training experience at William Angliss Institute."
Peter went on to explain that in winning the visit to Sri Lanka, Yeji will go to the Dilmah School of Tea, explore tea fields and gain an amazing education into the world of tea.
Dilmah is enthusiastic about connecting the worlds of tea and food, as demonstrated by their partnership with Angliss and the Dilmah School of Tea training facility located at the Melbourne campus. Collaborating with high-quality brands like Dilmah provides our students have access to premium ingredients, industry best practices and networking opportunities, paving the way for a successful career.
William Angliss Institute has a strong connection with Sri Lanka, with a campus in Colombo, and a strong Sri Lankan student cohort onshore in Australia.
Learn more about studying Patisserie, email enquiry@angliss.edu.au or call +613 8595 5334 for more information.
Register now for our Open Day 2024 in Melbourne on Saturday 10 August from 10am – 3pm.
