July 9, 2007 - 3:32am
Baking apprentice Jenny Jones was born with natural talent - at least when it comes to making sugar and chocolate sculptures.
How else do you explain the 20-year-old's performance at the prestigious EAT! Vancouver Cold Food competition where she won a gold medal for hand-dipped pralines (chocolates) and an all expenses paid trip to the Belcolade Chocolate Factory in Belgium?
"We saw the potential in Jenny to be a superstar right from the start, and offered her special training," said Debbie Shore, coordinator of Malaspina's Professional Baking and Culinary Arts programs.
Jones, who graduated from Ballenas Secondary in Parksville in 2005, began her Professional Baking apprenticeship at Malaspina last March. She currently works at the Old Country Market bakery in Coombs where Bakery Manager Susan Pauli also recognizes her natural talents.
"Even before Jenny had any formal training, her knowledge of food was extensive," said Pauli. "She seemed to know things instinctively." Pauli offered Jones
an apprenticeship, and suggested she complete the formal part of her training through Malaspina's Professional Baking program. During Jones' first month in the classroom, she met Malaspina Chef Bill Clay and was impressed with his sugar sculpting work.
"I wanted to try it and asked him to teach me," said Jones.
As a first assignment, Clay showed Jones how to make a sugar rose. "I knew instantly Jenny had a knack for sugar work," said Clay. “She’d never made a rose out of any medium before, and yet 30 minutes later she produced a rose that looked better than mine. I was shocked. She produced another one, better than the original in 30 minutes, and this happened over and over again with crocuses, apples, pears, bananas, etc. To put it in perspective, it took me a month to make a rose worthy of my instructor’s praise.”
Jones is a “sugar savant” who understands the medium of sugar sculpting like it's second nature, said Clay. “Her talent is truly outstanding.”
Clay suggested Jones enter the EAT! Vancouver Cold Food competition in May, and spent two months helping her prepare for the competition.
“I worked on sugar sculpting five hours a day at school, three hours at home, and five or six hours each weekend to prepare,” said Jones. “I practiced all the techniques Chef Clay taught me, from making different kinds of flowers out of sugar, to making fruit out of blown sugar such as plums, pears, apples and grapes. I absolutely love sugar work. It’s fun and amazing.”
Ironcially, at the end of April, after months of practising, Clay and Jones discovered the competition didn’t include sugar sculpting. Clay suggested Jones enter a chocolate sculpture instead. “I’d never worked with chocolate in my life,” said Jones. “The techniques are totally different."
Like sugar work, Jones excelled. For the competition, she created an abstract sculpture under the theme 2010 Olympics, complete with mountains and the Olympic rings made with chocolate. The piece was created at Malaspina, transported to Vancouver, and touched up in the bake shop at the Pan Pacific Hotel the day before the competition.
Both Jones and Clay were ecstatic when she won a bronze medal for the chocolate sculpture and gold for her 24 hand-dipped pralines (chocolates).
Later that day, at the awards ceremony, Jones's won 'best in show', and was presented with a grand prize trip to the Belcolade chocolate factory in Belgium. She'll tour the factory and receive private lessons from a professional chocolatier.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Jones. “The entire Malaspina team, including Chef Clay and seven other students, cheered for me. It was incredible.”
Jones plans to travel to Belgium later this year. After that, she'll be back at Malaspina to continue her classroom training.
“I attend school for one month a year for three years to earn my apprenticeship," she explained. "When I'm not in school, I'll be working at the bakery, building hours and gaining hands-on experience."
Pauli currently has three Malaspina apprentices working at the Old Country Market bakery. Four others have already completed the apprenticeship program and graduated. “I’m completely amazed by Malaspina's Professional Baking program because of the talent of instructors, how they work together, and how they go out of their way to help students,” said Pauli.
“Some of the apprentices arrive at school before 5 am ( their regular class starts at 9 am), as do the instructors, to ensure students are getting additional training. All of my apprentices have taken full advantage of that. The way the instructors nurtured Jenny and gave her so much time and attention to pursue this work is unbelievable. It’s the pursuit of excellence in action.”
Malaspina's world-renowned Professional Baking and Culinary Arts programs are now accepting applications. For information, call (250) 740-6137.
Tags: In the Community
