Looking for ‘Just right’

In the children’s fairy tale "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," the character Goldilocks was a fastidious and discerning little girl who knew exactly what she wanted. She deemed the chair of Papa Bear to be "too hard" and Mama Bear’s chair "too soft." Baby Bear’s chair was "just right," and it was a pity that Goldilocks broke it as she sat down.

She applied the same discriminating approach when tasting the bears’ porridge. Papa Bear’s steaming bowl was labeled "too hot" and Mama Bear’s bowl was "too cold." However, when Goldilocks tried Baby Bear’s bowl of porridge, it was "just right." So, she gobbled it all up. Certainly, this wasn’t a very good thing for Baby Bear who had to go without his supper; but for Goldilocks who was ready to faint from hunger, the perfect bowl of porridge was just the right thing to fend off hypoglycemia.

At the recent Goldilocks First Inter-Collegiate Cake Decorating Challenge, it struck me that the judges were like the discerning character of the fairy tale. They were looking for the cakes that were "just right."

In this case, Goldilocks is the well-loved establishment that has made the cakes and pastries for a whole generation of Filipinos. Goldilocks celebrates its 40th anniversary next month, and the cake decorating competition is one of the "40 Thoughtful Years" activities set to commemorate this important year.

In January, invitations were sent out to 29 schools within Metro Manila with hotel and restaurant management (HRM), hotel and restaurant administration (HRA), and culinary arts curricula. They were asked to submit three original cake decoration designs, so that the finalists could be determined.

The eight schools chosen to compete in the finals were Centro Escolar University, De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, Emilio Aguinaldo College, OB Montessori Greenhills, Olivarez College, Philippine Women’s University, San Sebastian College, and the University of Santo Tomas.

The mood was festive at the final round held at the Robinsons Galleria fountain area. The contestants were given a two-hour time limit to frost and decorate four cakes each, as their schoolmates and supporters cheered them on.

The judges were Goldilocks Bakeshop Inc. marketing director Pinky Yee; Presto-Avoset Group regional marketing manager for Southeast Asia Eddy Chan; culinary expert, Philippine Star columnist, chef, and founder of the Heny Sison School of Cake Decorating and Baking Heny Sison; talent manager Angelie Pangilinan Valenciano; and Helene Pontejos, general manager of Great Food Solutions (GFS), which is a San Miguel-Pure Foods Company’s food service division. The cakes were judged on the basis of: creativity of design, 35 percent; appearance, 35 percent; technique, 15 percent; and use of materials, 15 percent.

Two hours seemed to fly, and soon it was time to judge the entries. Cake decoration is an imprecise art where one can easily go overboard. As in the use of makeup where too much rouge, lipstick or powder on one’s face will make you look ridiculous and like a clown, perhaps the secret in cake decoration lies in exercising restraint. Although all the materials and ingredients are available, one should employ artistic control to come up with an outstanding product – a cake that is decorated "just right."

The crowd cheered as the winners were announced: best in roll design – University of Santo Tomas; best in heart shape design – Philippine Women’s University; best in eight-inch round cake design – DLSU College of Saint Benilde; and best in eight-inch x 12-inch rectangular cake design – Centro Escolar University. Each team got P10,000 worth of Goldilocks gift certificates and individual medals.

The overall winner was DLSU College of Saint Benilde with team members Kevin Agcaoili, Rizalino Manas, Criselda Giao, and Jason Ngo winning a P250,000 baking showcase and trophy for their school, and P20,000 worth of Goldilocks gift certificates and medals for themselves.

Was it difficult to choose the winners? "Some of the designs were really impressive, even at par with commercially available cakes. It’s amazing that these were made on-the-spot by students. The level of talent of the Filipino youth is overwhelming," says Goldilock’s Pinky Yee.

Will the Inter-Collegiate Cake Decorating Challenge become a regular event? "The massive success of the First Goldilocks Inter-Collegiate Cake Decorating Challenge will definitely make us work harder for future installments. We are looking to make this an annual affair," she says.

Goldilocks marketing manager for foodshop operations Mauie Tamsi adds, "One of our goals is to take the competition on a regional tour wherein schools from the provinces can participate. This can form an elimination round, where contestants from across the country can compete in the nationwide finals."

This is good news indeed. Healthy competition encourages artistry and excellence. We look forward to future cake decorating competitions.