- Photo By Rosemary Parkinson Desmond Gray,
Sunset Beach Resort and Spa
Gold medal winner in the Wedding Cake category and the JCDC prize for Best Wedding Cake (pictured above).
Desmond Gray listens, and he reckons that's why he walked away with the top prize for his wedding cake in this year's Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) Culinary Exposition.
Gray, who has been participating in the culinary festival since 1995, says he listens to the comments of the judges to find out what they're looking for. The key words he heard were simplicity, with a touch of class and elegance.
He kept that in mind when he set about to create this year's entry which he calls Bridal Cake, Sunset in Negril. It took two weeks -- scores of hours and aching shoulders to get the pipe work just right. "It takes a lot out of the shoulders sitting there and piping for three or four hours. Plus, every time you pick up the piping you run the risk of it breaking."
Still, he knew the instance he finished that he had a winner. "I gave them a mix of everything they're looking for and when the cake was finished I said this one is a winner."
Gray, a pastry chef, has been getting applause for his cakes and pastries, won gold for his wedding cake at the 1999 JCDC show and last year took silver for his wedding and celebration cakes.
It takes patience to win at this level, but the 33-year-old reckons that "if you love the work and have the dedication that will give you the patience.
"Winning is a joy to me," he says, "and every year from the show finish I start thinking for the next year."
