Pastry programs, desserts starring on TV
The world of pastry is increasingly the protagonist on TV. For more than ten years we have been attending programmes, talent shows and reality shows where pastry chefs and aspiring pastry chefs challenge each other over cakes, pastries and chocolates. In the beginning there was Buddy Valastro. His program “The cake boss” aired in Italy in 2009 told the daily life of his family-run pastry shop in America. Valastro’s specialties were his cakes decorated with high-impact sugar paste.
Also thanks to the spread of cooking talents such as Masterchef, over the years we have witnessed the multiplication of formats dedicated to creations in sponge cake, shortcrust pastry and fillings. The notoriety of these TV programs has contributed to changing the perception of the figure of the pastry chef. Also thanks to the presence of important figures in the sector such as Iginio Massari , these broadcasts have made it possible to bring a profession that requires study, apprenticeship, passion and commitment to the spotlight.
A virtuous relationship of mutual influence is thus created between the world of pastry and that of TV. The spread of television programs has led to a significant increase in enrollments in pastry courses and the opening of new premises. Market trends and new industry trends affect the creation of new formats.
Let’s see together which are the broadcasts that tell in the most significant way what is behind the whip, whisk and pastry bag.
THE CHALLENGES AMONG ASPIRING PASTRY CHEFS
For years, making sweets at home was relegated as an activity for grandmothers or to be dedicated to Sunday afternoons. Thanks to some TV formats, pastry enthusiasts have been able to get involved with their creativity and passion. “Bake Off Italia“, aired for the first time in 2013, is inspired by a British format.
In the programme, amateur pastry chefs challenge each other with creams, preparations and decorations. In each episode there are two tests to be faced: the creativity one where participants are left free to trace and the technical one where instead they are asked to reproduce a recipe. Among the judges there are illustrious personalities of the sector such as Ernst Knam.
The final winner wins the opportunity to publish their cookbook. And if an aspiring pastry chef could compete with one of the sacred monsters of the sector? It happens in the program “The Sweetman” where the participants have the opportunity to prepare their best creation under the gaze of Iginio Massari. The Maestro observes the preparation of the dessert, giving advice to the participant and judges the final result.
THE CHALLENGES BETWEEN PASTRY SHOPS
From sweets to pastry shops: the TV challenges broaden the perspective to get to the competition between clubs. New factors enter the game: not only the creations but also their display and presentation, the cleanliness of the place and the atmosphere you breathe. In “Best bakery” the judges Alessandro Servida and Andreas Acherer tour Italy in search of the best pastry shop in the country. From north to south, the program is also an opportunity to discover the Italian confectionery tradition. For each pastry shop visited, the judges expressed their opinions on the basis of three parameters: “first impression”, “the speciality” and “the dessert of the challenge”. The latter item is the most captivating and complex to deal with: the professionals were in fact asked to prepare a dessert using a “mysterious” element assigned by the judges themselves.
A “Cake Star” in each episode three pastry shops in an Italian town challenge each other whose owners, in turn, give an opinion on the other competitors in thanks to the appearance of the pastry shop, the pastry cabaret and the “piece de resistance”, i.e. the outstanding dessert, with a score from 0 to 5 stars. Judges and conductors are Katia Follesa and Damiano Carrara who also give a judgment that will be added to that of the competitors. At the end of the first round, whoever has received the most stars will be able to access the final duel and will fight in a challenge on equal terms, outside their own laboratory, to win the Cake Star trophy, the title of best pastry shop in the city and a cash prize. of 2,000 euros to be reinvested in the company.
PASTRY SHOWS
On television there is also space for programs in which professional pastry chefs show their creative and culinary skills. On Gambero Rosso Channel we find “Silvia’s fabulous world ” in which the pastry chef Silvia Federica Boldetti offers sweets made of shapes and colors inspired by books and real life situations .
Gambero Rosso with its editorial products is devoting more and more attention to the world of pastry, as demonstrated by the guide “Pasticceri e Pasticcerie 2020” of which Fb Showcases is a sponsor.
In “ The king of chocolate ” instead Ernst Knam delights the eyes of the viewer with his mouth-watering proposals. Indeed, the maître chocolatier and his team of experts prepare delicious sweet creations and grandiose chocolate sculptures for their demanding clientele.
And the world of ice cream?
At the moment in Italy there is not yet a real format dedicated to master gelato makers that sees them as protagonists in TV challenges.
Separate mention for Alessandro Borghese’s program “Kitchen Sound” in which the IceCream-branded episodes featured ten professional gelato makers from all over Italy.
The show talked about gourmet ice cream combined with sweet and savory dishes.