Hong Kong’s Cake Artist, Bob Tay, walked away with a Gold Distinction medal at HOFEX (the Asian International Exhibition of Food & Drink, Hotel, Restaurant & Foodservice Equipment exhibition) that took place in Hong Kong 6 through 9 May 2009.

Inspired by a Norman Rockwell painting, he created his showpiece “Pierrot” and gained the maximum score of 100 possible points in the competition’s Showpiece Display category.

The 15 kilogram “sculpture” is made only of icing with no armature or structure inside to support it.

Measuring 50 centimetres wide and 50 centimetres high, the cake depicts a clown playing with his pet dogs. Bob explained he was drawn to the subject “because of the emotion and expression of the piece”. He continued, “Even though it’s made of sugar I hope people can see it as a work of art in its own right. I made the clown middle-aged so I could experiment with adding wrinkles and a slightly sad look on his face. I also played with different colours, using paintbrushes and food colouring to shade and colour to create the effect I wanted. Sugar is my metier and I loved being able to express such a natural feeling in this way.”

The planning of the cake took two months, Bob working on the concept several hours per day. He fashioned the icing rather like a sculptor works with clay to create the finest details in the piece including facial expression, shoe laces and fingernails. Of particular note is the balance between technical excellence as seen in the scrupulous attention to details and the artistic expression of mood in the sculpture.

The Mandarin cake shop

Bob is widely recognised in Hong Kong for his intricate themed cakes. His cakes both fascinate and amaze, often appearing so real that viewers need to look twice before discovering they’re looking at a work of art.

Salvatore Ferragamo were so delighted at a shoe-shaped cake Bob made for the company’s 80th anniversary that it was presented it to Wanda Ferragamo, wife of the late Salvatore Ferragamo and honorary chairwoman of Salvatore Ferragamo Italia, at their Italian headquarters.

“Pierrot”, alongside his other cakes, will be on display until the end of May 2009 at the Mandarin Cake Shop for the public to enjoy.