The Star: 5th October 2011
Most Outstanding Pastry Chef 2011- young talent at Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia
Tan Wei Loon is an award winning Pastry Chef who is assisting the team of Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia. Trained under World Champions and Celebrity Chefs like Stephane Treand, Michel Willaume and Anil Rohira, Tan Wei Loon is one of the most promising Chefs in Malaysia.
He carries specialities in Modern French Pastry, Sugar Art, Airbrush techniques, Chocolate Displays and Praline making. At Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia he shares his talent and creative ideas as a teacher. He is a great inspiration to his students and sets a perfect example for a hard-working attitude.
Besides his achievements in the past such as Gold Medals for Most Creative Cakes, Chef Tan Wei Loon has received the highest award at Malaysia Pastry Cup 2011 held in KLCC end of September.
The Region’s largest culinary competition was held in conjunction with Food & Hotel Show Malaysia 2011. Culinaire Malaysia has the object to identify individual chefs who excel in their field of culinary or pastry art that match world standards.
Accumulating highest points winning Gold Medal for Dress the Cake Category, Gold Medal for Pastry Bakery Showpiece and the award for Most Outstanding Sugar Showpiece and Chocolate Cake Challenge, Tan Wei Loon received the much thought after title of Most Outstanding Pastry Chef.
Only 25 years of age, with total 5 years of experience in the Hotel industry, Tan Wei Loon mentions he was confident that there would be a chance for him to win the title. 80% is hard-work, only 20% talent or luck. And Tan Wei Loon was working hard, besides his Assistant Teacher Job at Academy of Pastry Arts, he took every chance he got to practice after work. He says he is lucky to work with people who train him well. Even if someone is talented, only hard-work, best time management and patience can guarantee the rewards, says Tan Wei Loon.
One of his Master Pieces is the Sugar Showpiece “Sound of Sirens”. With only 4 years of experience in Sugar Art, it took Tan Wei Loon about 3 weeks to make this exceptional showpiece. This is the first time in his life he competes in the category Sugar Art and his talent is recognized and highly rewarded with the gold medal. Combining techniques such as Pastillage, Pull Sugar, Blow Sugar, Airbrush techniques, Casting Sugar and Modelling, he creates a stunning image of a Sirene and Octopus pulling the sailors ship into the deep waters. Tan Wei Loon always tells a story with his Art, Sirene and Octopus resembling the two sides of life and in each human being, the beauty and the danger.
What is next for Malaysia’s Most Outstanding Pastry Chef? Chef Tan Wei Loon is looking across the ocean, eying on Paris. The World Pastry Cup would be a new challenge for Malaysia’s young talent, which he is eager to take on.
In the meantime he will be practising as well as teaching at Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia.
