Taste Studio: More to come after successful inaugural desserts masterclass

COCONUT sponge topped with lemon curd, coconut sago and mango sorbet. Sounds complicated? Not to those who attended Taste Studio’s dessert masterclass last weekend. Hadi Ismanto was there. 

Guest chef Ardika Dwitama. Photo: Taste Studio

In the function room of Zen Apartments in the city, 30 cooking enthusiasts learnt the secret behind two amazing desserts at a special desserts masterclass hosted by the renowned and very capable chef Ardika Dwitama.

In less than two hours, Ardika whipped up a coconut, lemon and mango delight followed by a chocolate, vanilla and salted caramel super dessert. When he wasn’t walking participants through the technical ins and outs, Ardika shared some of his experiences as both as a pâtissier in Union Jakarta and his time as an intern in Burch & Purchese here in Melbourne.

Chocolate, Vanilla & Salted Caramel. Photo: Taste Studio

French native and avid cook Anna attended the masterclass and said her favourite part was learning how to make sago pearls.

“I have never been to masterclass before and didn’t know what to expect, but in the end, I’m pretty glad we came. It was really nice. I learned some stuff. The recipes look very good and I think I want to do them at home tomorrow,” Anna said.

While the overwhelming majority of the participants were women, among the handful of men keen to learn was Indonesian-born Yudo Baskoro.

“This is my first time going to cooking class dedicated to desserts and it made me really appreciate just how much work can go into preparing a desert. I enjoyed it very much,” he said.

As a well as a recipe card, participants were given a pack of the main ingredients they’d need to recreate the desserts at home.

Ingredients in a flask. Photo: Taste Studio

One of the creative minds behind Taste Studio Nadia Pramudita says she was pleased the event was a success.

“I think the response was good. People enjoyed it and I think they got to share and they got to ask questions. I think that’s the most important part of any cooking lesson. People should be able to see by themselves the process of making quite a complicated dessert,” she says.

“The first session was such fun. Hopefully. there will be more to come in the future.”

You can stay up-to-date with Taste Studio and their upcoming events by following their Facebook page.