World champions: (From left) Loi, Foo, Fong and Tan celebrating third place at the Pastry World Cup. — Photos courtesy of Foo and Fong
PETALING JAYA: You can’t fault them for continuing to savour the sweet moments of winning the bronze medal at the 2025 Pastry World Cup in France.
After all, pastry chefs Foo Yi Qing, Fong Kah Mun and Tyler Tan have shown that Malaysia is a force to be reckoned with following their victory at the international competition in late January, which gathered 18 teams from around the globe.
They were beaten by Japan, who took the gold, and France (silver), but edged out accomplished rivals from the likes of Italy, the United Kingdom and South Korea.
“It was a very tiring process, but the end product made it all worthwhile,” said Foo, 27.
Team Malaysia, she noted, had maintained a strong spirit on the big stage.
“We feel blessed to have achieved our goal, but we were also really surprised because all the other teams were so good,” said Foo, who is a pastry chef at Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts Malaysia.
Growing up, she was inspired by her mother’s baking.
Culinary excellence: Team Malaysia’s sweet creation, featuring complex, intricate elements that pay tribute to Malaysian heritage.
At the age of 12, she tried baking for the first time on her own and the rest was history.
During the competition held in Lyon, Foo was in charge of the “sugar showpiece” segment and led her team’s efforts to create a kuih loyang-inspired dessert to go with the theme of the competition on national heritage.
(The event required contestants to create a frozen dessert, a restaurant dessert and a chocolate showpiece.)
“For now, I have lots to improve on, but I hope to compete again,” said Foo.
The key to success, she added, is practising often and mastering the basics.
As for Fong, her interest in baking came from watching TV shows as a child, which led her to look up recipes online and try them on her own.
Fong, 23, was tasked with the chocolate display and a plated dessert, which featured local fruits and pandan leaves as a nod to the Malaysian heritage.
“The most stressful part was creating the intricate, multi-layered flower pieces.
“It was difficult getting everything to stay in place but in the end, everything went smoothly,” she recalled.
She paid tribute to chef Loi Ming Ai, the champion in the 2019 edition of the competition, who encouraged her to keep persevering “because you don’t want to be left regretting not giving it your all”.
Aspiring chefs, she added, should challenge themselves but also enjoy the creative process.
As for Tan, 29, baking first became a creative outlet when he was 19.
He described his experience competing in France as “incredible”.
“But being surrounded by the best pastry chefs in the world added to my nerves,” he confessed.
He was in charge of the frozen dessert and ice carving, and was inspired by “the bright and refreshing flavours of apricot, citrus and orange blossom”.
When the winners were announced, Tan, 29, said he was in disbelief.
“My shock turned into joy and relief shortly after,” he said, adding that this win is “just the beginning” for him.
“I am looking forward to pushing my creative limits.”
