This week 15 year old Antony Kapeli Sua from Papakura College was announced the Supreme Winner of the inaugural Chelsea School Bake Off after battling it out over the ovens with four other students from across Auckland.
The students competed under the watchful eye of this year’s winner of NZ MasterChef Brett McGregor, Marketing Manager from New Zealand Sugar, Monique Farrell and chief judge Lauraine Jacobs, food writer and president of the NZ Guild of Food Writers. The judges were very impressed by the talent of these young bakers and their ability to handle the heat of the competition.
McGregor said “I was quite blown away by what these kids could produce at their age”. Jacobs was also thrilled to be a part of an event that “shows how ‘cool’ and fun baking can be, encouraging kids to learn essential kitchen skills.”
The five finalists had been chosen to represent their region within Auckland based on the calibre of the cake they submitted in the semi-finals to a Chelsea judging panel last month. At this week’s final they were each required to bake and decorate cupcakes in a high-pressure bake off held at Botany Downs Secondary College. The competitors had to perform under tight time constraints, with strict conditions and with judges, special guests and national TV cameras following their every move.
Students and guests were also treated to a master-class in cake decorations from three MIT Baking & Patisserie school students and were able to take part in an exclusive Q&A with Brett McGregor.
In addition to the honour of being named the 2010 Chelsea Bake Off Supreme Winner Antony received cooking equipment to the value of $500 and Papakura College was awarded equipment for their Food Technology department to the value of $1000.
Roy Millar, Sales and Marketing General Manager, Chelsea says the company hopes the Bake Off will encourage young people to have fun with cooking and develop skills to last a lifetime.
Click here for Antony's winning recipe: Red Velvet Cupcakes