Latest news with #pastrychef
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Didi's is giving European bakes a local makeover
Didi's Café and Bakery is bringing something fresh to the table. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle) KUALA LUMPUR : Listen up, Wangsa Maju folks – your neighbourhood just got a cool new café that's baking up a storm. At Didi's Café and Bakery, you'll find specialty coffee and freshly baked pastries with a unique twist you won't get anywhere else. Opened in February, the café's name means 'elder sister' in Hindi – a sweet tribute to what owner Nashilla Rafiq is called at home. While it's a family-owned spot, it's Nashilla, a former lawyer and mum, who runs the show. 'All of this started because our entire family loves coffee,' the 35-year-old told FMT Lifestyle. 'We wanted to bring something new and exciting to the neighbourhood.' All the café's goodies are baked in-house by a skilled pastry chef. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle) At Didi's, classic European bakes get a local makeover with creations like rendang croizza and masak lemak-stuffed ciabatta. Nashilla's younger sister, 25, is the creative force behind many of their creations. 'She's really good with flavour profiles – always trying new things, exploring funky combinations,' Nashilla said. 'She came up with the idea for the masak lemak-stuffed ciabatta, and even though customers are hesitant at first, we encourage them to give it a try. Most end up loving it.' The siblings first tested their ideas through pop-ups. Once they realised their unique creations were a hit, they brought on skilled chefs to help execute their vision – and just like that, Didi's Café and Bakery was born. The croizzas come in three flavours and are a must-try. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle) FMT Lifestyle tried some of Didi's signature items, and loved every one of them. The masak lemak stuffed ciabatta was a pleasant surprise. Shredded chicken in a fiery, tangy masak lemak sauce is stuffed into crusty Italian bread, with a bright yellow filling that looks intense but isn't oily. Somehow, they've nailed the richness of masak lemak without the heaviness – keeping it moist, spicy, and seriously flavour-packed. You've seen big pizza chains experiment with local flavours, but on a croizza? That's something else. Generously loaded with tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef, this croizza hits all the right notes. The croizza base is the real game-changer: made with croissant dough, it's flaky, buttery, and still sturdy to hold all the toppings together. The Kefir chicken croizza is also a must-try with its perfect balance of spice and sweetness. The apple turnover too was a quiet winner. Chunky apple pieces and smooth custard are wrapped in a golden puff pastry, with just the right touch of sweetness. You will end up finishing it in a few greedy bites. The pistachio cherry croissant meanwhile, which happens to be Nashilla's personal favourite, is a visual stunner. The croissant is perfectly laminated, topped with a crown of crunchy pistachios, and filled with luscious pistachio cream and sweet-tart cherry compote. On Wednesdays, Didi's offers 10% off all matcha lattes for ladies' night. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle) And if none of this is your cup of tea (or coffee), they've got plenty more – from sourdough and focaccia to cinnamon rolls and beyond. Didi's takes their drinks seriously, too. The butterscotch latte and matcha strawberry are definite must-tries. And if you're a matcha lover, swing by on Wednesdays for ladies' night, where you'll get 10% off all matcha lattes. As it's a family affair, you'll often find Nashilla's mother, Noor Shida Ismail, around the café – coffee in hand, happily chatting with customers. 'What I've realised from running this café is that people who come here end up sharing pieces of their lives with us,' Noor Shida shared. 'On Mother's Day, we had two girls sitting here in tears because their mother no longer remembers them. It's moments like that which are so touching.' So if you're craving a little downtime, drop by this cosy café. With seasonal specials like the Raya-exclusive onde-onde pain suisse, there's always a reason to come back for more. Head over to Wangsa Maju to discover this cosy little café. (Andrea Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle) Follow Didi's Café and Bakery on Instagram. Didi's Café and Bakery 69, Jalan Wangsa Delima 5 Pusat Bandar Wangsa Maju 53300 Kuala Lumpur Operation Hours: 9am-12am: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9am-1am: Friday, Saturday, Sunday (Closed on Mondays)
RNZ News
01-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Alice Taylor : Budget-friendly winter cooking
With cold weather about to kick in and the need for many of us to keep a close eye on what we are spending, we've invited popular social media chef and writer Alice Taylor to join us to share some hearty recipes and a few money-saving tips. Alice is 25, and lives in Auckland. She was a contestant on Masterchef, she's a trained pastry chef and has worked in some top restaruants including Amisfield, Paris Butter and Baduzzi, but more recently she's been focussing her efforts on cheap, realistic cooking - and it's obviously hitting the mark - Alice now has more than 40-thousand followers on Instagram. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MasterChef Australia star announces huge career move after shock elimination
MasterChef Australia contestant Rue Mupedzi is setting herself up for a huge career in the culinary world after her shock elimination from the Back to Win season on Tuesday. Instead of hanging up her apron for good, the 29-year-old dental hygienist is planning on becoming a pastry chef. Rue, who is known as the 'dessert queen' by fans, announced she plans to head to Europe to pursue her dream as soon as possible. 'My vision board is to go to France and gain work experience in the pastry world for six months to a year, as well as explore Europe,' she said in a new interview with Yahoo Lifestyle on Wednesday. The WA-based kitchen star said her long-term plans included opening her own pastry shop. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Elsewhere, Rue opened up about her return to MasterChef after her headline making appearance on the show in 2023. 'I still wanted to work really hard and do well, but the most important thing to me was to have a good time,' she said. 'Coming back was like riding a bike. It felt like I never left! I integrated back into the kitchen so quickly.' Rue scored a major win on her first go on the hit cooking competition, when she won one of the biggest prizes the contest has seen. The Zimbabwe-born cook was left speechless when she came first in an immunity challenge after judges fell in love with her sweet and spicy BBQ sauce recipe, BarbeRue. Not only was she free from elimination that week, she won the life-changing prize of having her sauce produced, packaged and sold in all Coles stores across Australia for a limited time. Rue suffered the heartache of a second MasterChef Australia elimination this week after a tricky pudding failed to impress the judges. Rue, Tim, Audra and Sarah were tasked with remaking Variations of Sourdough and Strawberry with Elderflower and Balsamic dessert from restaurant's Blayne Bertoncello. The dish included a strawberry sorbet which sat atop a sourdough-infused crème pâtissière, a strawberry gum emulsion, macerated strawberries, sourdough tuilles and fried elderflower crisps - all finished off with a balsamic gel. As Rue, Audra, and Tim all struggled with their emulsion, which split and was too runny when compared to Blayne's, the temperatures began to soar in the kitchen. In the end, it was the dessert queen herself who was sent home over her grainy crème pâtissière. In tears, Rue told the judges that it had been an honour cooking for them and being on the show for a second time around. 'Just being called back among such amazing chefs made me realise I'm also part of the great people,' she shared. Jean-Christophe Novelli sang high praises of the contestant and her presence on the show. 'You are unique, you've got the most amazing spirit and, for me, I believe you are a ray of sunshine in any kitchen,' he told Rue in a heartfelt speech. Speaking of her final cook with 10Play, Season 15's Rue was left disappointed after being eliminated in a challenge she considered to be her bread and butter. 'I really felt like this was a cook that I was supposed to shine in, and I didn't,' Rue said. 'I had done all these elements over a thousand times, and somehow that didn't show. You couldn't see that on the plate.'
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Fate of Channel Ten's Dessert Masters REVEALED as judge Amaury Guichon hints if the show returns for a third season
Amaury Guichon has weighed in on his Australian cooking show Dessert Masters and if he's keen to return for another season. The renowned pastry chef, who appeared as a judge alongside Melissa Leong for seasons one and two of the high-rated Channel Ten cooking series, admitted he remains hopeful the show will return. 'I do hope so ... I think they're gonna have a third season,' the 34-year-old exclusively told Daily Mail Australia at his chocolate pop-up store event in Sydney. 'We have two great seasons. I love doing [Dessert Masters] because I have other shows in the US. But here, there is really something special. 'The people are so passionate about what they do that you can really see on the screen.' Dessert Masters dominated the ratings when it aired in 2023 and 2024 with Amaury and Melissa at the helm. Its first season saw a group of Australian pastry chefs compete for a $100,000 prize and deliver a ratings salve for the network in the highly competitive reality TV market. The premiere episode had 451,000 Australians tuning in across all the major cities and viewers heaped praise on the TV veteran. Dessert Masters is set to return for another season, but the network has bought itself some time by delaying a formal announcement until after the second season has aired. 'Last year, there was a strong appetite for the debut of Dessert Masters,' a Ten spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia last year. 'In 2024, we are delighted to plate up second helpings.' Amaury, who is based in Las Vegas, flew to Sydney on Wednesday to attend his exclusive Chocolate by Amaury Guichon pop-up event in Martin Place hosted by American Express delicious. Month Out. The chocolatier looked sharp in a fitted white shirt and black trousers as he posed alongside his Dessert Masters co-judge Melissa Leong. Melissa, 43, showcased her chic style in a Gucci neckscarf and a black power suit, while accessorising with a small black YSL handbag. The renowned pastry chef, who appeared as a judge alongside Melissa Leong for seasons one and two of the high-rated Channel Ten cooking series, admitted he remains hopeful the show will return Former MasterChef fan favourites Khanh Ong, Reece Hignell and Hayden Quinn were among the guests who attended the intimate opening. The pop-up store, located at Ground Floor, 20 Martin Place in Sydney, will provide culinary connoisseurs never before access to purchase one of Amaury's chocolate masterpieces, but the first 100 American Express Card Members each day can receive a complimentary chocolate creation from the renowned pastry chef. 'I am so excited to share my passion down under during this exclusive collaboration with American Express in Sydney!' Amaury said. The event runs for three days from May 8 to May 10, from 10am to 5pm.
