Saturday May 2, 2009

Mama Min shares her knowledge of figurine modelling at her workshops

By ESTHER CHANDRAN

MODELLING figurines from sugar paste offers a chance for big girls to relive their childhood days.

For those who grew up playing with plastercine, the opportunity to get creative presents itself in sugar paste modelling as one can design shapes of people, animals, fruits, furniture, shoes and clothes.

While plastercine is child’s play, sugar paste modelling is definitely an adult hobby.

What started out as a hobby has become more than just a pastime to Chan Hui Min, who shares her knowledge of the craft with others by conducting workshops at Cake Connection in Jaya One, Petaling Jaya.

Let’s begin: Chan (Mama Min, in orange) explaining to her students how to decorate their cakes.

Chan, who is better known as Mama Min, knows only too well the joy of getting her hands sticky and sweet with sugar.

Mama Min’s involvement in baking and icing cakes started about three years ago.

Discovering figurine modelling through books, Mama Min persevered through trial and error to fine-tune her creations so they could look as close as possible to the real thing.

She is so consumed with working on tiny figurine models that she does not mind sacrificing sleep just to get them looking perfect.

“Sometimes when I am working on an order, I spend hours designing the figurines and end up getting only three hours’ sleep a night.

The tail: After making the edible rocks, Chan fashions the mermaid’s tail onto the cake.

“But, I find doing sugar paste modelling fun, therapeutic and calming,” Mama Min said.

Indeed, her passion for the world of sugar paste modelling can only be understood by those who share it.

Sugar paste modelling is definitely a laborious process and the meticulous cake artist spends hours on making the figurines, knowing the importance of modelling the figurine to resemble the subject matter, be it human or animal.

Mama Min stresses that patience is the key when working on a figurine’s limbs, like the hands and legs, and especially the fingers and toes.

The wife of stage actor Patrick Teoh, she has attended a course by sugar paste artist Debbie Brown and will be heading off to England this year to learn more from Brown and Lorraine McKay.

At a recent workshop on sugar paste modelling, Mama Min conceptualised the “Under the Sea” theme, showing how to create mermaids, turtles, fish, shells, corals and rock from sugar paste.

Her class of budding cake makers shot questions and shared their experiences while working hands-on to replicate Mama Min’s figurines in their own style.

Their deep concentration while making the mermaid figurines showed their attentiveness and eagerness to get their figurines looking as good as Mama Min’s.

Mama Min has also conducted the Naughty Cupcakes workshop, at which she taught her students to make edible handcuffs, boots, lingerie and lots more.

Cake Connection partner Shyamala Devaraj said sugar paste modelling was suitable for advanced students who had a knowledge of baking, icing and making fondant.

“We have a variety of workshops here like the beginner’s cupcake, beginner’s fondant, beginner’s butter cream, miniature cakes and jelly cakes.

“Those who do not like cake- decorating can learn to bake cakes and pastries as we cater for a variety of tastes and have five instructors sharing their knowledge,” Shyamala said.

Cake makers can also get a variety of ready-to-use decorative embellishments, like pansies, gerbera and lilies, at Cake Connection.

For details, call 03-7956 4450, 012-235 9773 or visit www.cakeconnection.com.my.