The great Indian Railways inspired chef Mohammed Asif to create an ornate replica in chocolate of a colonial-era train as his entry at the recent 'Culinary Art India, 2015'.
Asif's creation was one among several intricate chocolate replicas of motorcycles and other objects that greeted visitors to the 10th edition of an art competition held by the Indian Culinary Forum in association with Hospitality First and ITPO here recently.
Around 300 chefs participated in the event, which saw competitions in 16 categories judged by the WACS (World Association of Chefs Societies) certified chefs and renowned food critics.
Huge crowds were seen flocking to the 'Butter and Margarine Sculpture' event where chocolate was moulded into different shapes and sizes to present bewitching sculptures like a replica of a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and one that was titled 'American Chopper'.
Chef Asif from MBD Radission Noida, who was the creator of the train engine says he took over 1.5 months to design the model which was complete with details of pebbles between tracks and ornate illustrations carved on the engine.
"I visited railway stations to study the trains and understand their working to draw inspiration for the model. It was hard work and I worked three hours after my shift daily to complete the model on time," says Asif.
He won the gold prize in the "Artistic Pastry Show Piece' category.
A chocolate carving of 'Mother Nature', exhorting people not to waste food was also a highlight of the show. The creator, Rintu Rathod, a commercial designer-turned-baker had travelled from Mumbai to participate in the event.
