Sometimes, even under difficult circumstances, you just have to go big and bold. That’s what nine students in the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College’s advanced baking class just did. They made sugar showpieces that would often pose challenges even for seasoned professionals. They worked long, hard hours and, in the end, produced spectacular results.
“I felt it was important to let them go hog-wild,” said Culinary Arts Program Coordinator Teresa Shurilla, a renowned pastry chef who is the class instructor. “This is the last big, showy project of their time here in our Culinary Arts Program. They needed something to inspire them after this difficult year. They’re going out into a culinary world—an entire world—that has changed dramatically. I wanted them to do something they could be really proud of.”
She said the students had to draw, design and execute their own visions, and every one of them came through enthusiastically and in grand style.
“It wasn’t always easy. There was some crying…and some breakage! But in the end, we all had a moment together. And I think the results are amazing,” Shurilla said.
