Crafting Edible Art - Meet Harneet Jolly - Renowned Chef, Chocolatier & Cake Sculptor!

 

The joy of cooking a warm meal or the therapeutic effect of baking is often said to be one of the best experiences life has to offer! Good food is also something none of us can say no to. With that in mind, we’d like to introduce you to Chef Harneet Jolly and take you on his journey from a kid who baked his first cake to become a celebrated cake sculptor!

Humble Beginnings

“I was in the fourth grade, when I baked my first cake; of course, with the help of my mother; from whom I learnt to bake,” says Harneet, who swears by this traditional cake recipe, that has rippled down generation after generation. “Can you imagine the pride I feel to think that I could become the part of this family tradition, a heritage almost, to carry forward the traditional recipe of cake that has passed over from one generation to another,” he asks! It was indeed a pivotal moment in the chef’s life after which he’d never look back! Cooking became his passion as he improved over time. However, that was just one step along the arduous path upon which Harneet had to tread.

Life Of A Chocolatier

Did you know? The ancient Mayan people actually used cacao beans as currency? Chocolate has been long associated with opulence, luxury, and prestige. As a chocolate, Harneet swears he is that crazy person who brings out the best of chocolate! “It is not just making a candy bar. It is designing, understanding flavour, texture, and combinations to bring out the decadence of chocolate. A chocolatier is a mad scientist. A chocolatier is an artist, and the chocolate is his art,” stresses Harneet!

Art Of Cake Sculpting

Cake sculpting is an art of carving, sculpting and carefully crafting cakes into fancy realistic shapes. It is generally a procedure where the chef meets clients to understand their specifications, personality and what’s close to their hearts. “This is not just a cake; it is a memory for a lifetime, an emotion, a vibe,” avers Harneet. When asked about what inspired him to opt for the road not taken, he reminisces the time he came across this TV show – The Ultimate Cake Off while changing the TV channels on the television with his dad. The cake sculptor in him immediately expressed his desire to bake. Realising its not just baking a cake, rather an art, Harneet vowed to take it up a notch further as he designed the skeletal models of, what could only be perceived as gravity defying cakes! “Think of it this way - Michelangelo had his marble, which he carved to reveal its form. My marble is the cake,” winks Harneet.

Practice Makes Perfect

Chef Harneet Jolly vouches for the age old idea of practicing your craft well. “Long as you treat it as your true love, you’ll be alright. Trust yourself. Don’t always be influenced by others and never, I repeat, never, compromise on quality,” he asserts. It is a well-known fact that quality and success are directly proportional.

Therapy Time

Swearing for cooking to be a stress-buster, Chef Harneet believes it gives him a peace of mind Every time I bake, I find myself closer to my inner self. Baking and cooking is somehow meditative. It's like a painting to a painter, a song to a music composer. I paint my food, handcraft it. It's my way of expression. Cooking is art on a plate. The plate is my canvas, the pan my palette, the spoons my brush,” he adds.

Perfectionism In Culinary Arts

It is instinct, perhaps. The desire to always be better than his competition is what got out the perfectionist in the culinary artist in Harneet Jolly. “My only real competition is me. I would look at myself in the mirror and remind myself of where I want to be. I have so many people I look up to, but my goals and work are not influenced by anyone. I relish the process of exploring myself,” signs off an enthusiastic and curious Harneet Jolly!

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