In what could be a modern version of an old Sri Lankan classic meal, a Toronto area chef has baked a curry leaf bagel, pairing it with a coconut sambal cream cheese.
Chef John Ferdinand, owner of Vanilla En Glaze Cakes and Pastries in Whitchurch-Stouffville,just north of Toronto ideated this culinary creation.
“We are extremely pleased to introduce our curry leaf bagel paired with our coconut sambal cream cheese inspired by our South Asian culinary background. After many trials, this product is on its final stage of development with good results,” he said.
“Although, it looks as simple as a regular bagel and cream cheese it completely defies traditional recipes, methods and procedures. Coconut and cream cheese have two different types of bacterial cultures and we have worked very hard to successfully bind these two fusion ingredients,” he added.
“To simply mix regular cream cheese with homemade coconut sambal does not yield the desired results! I have worked very hard to bring this fusion, my moto: “Never give up!”
Ferdinand says Canadian food service companies are interested in this product for local and overseas markets.
“We are working on the marketing process, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we cannot have public community tasting. We are instead as a first step via social media need to collect 30% product feedback (favourable or not),” he said.
The chef made headlines in 2016 when he baked his largest cake forMayor Justin Altmann, who invited the entire town for his wedding.The cake weighed in at 2,000 pounds, and 3,000 pieces.
Born in Sri Lanka, 1979, Ferdinand was always drawn to his mother’s kitchen where he helped her bake a variety of delicious cakes. It was this passion that fueled him to pursue a Diploma in Culinary Management entailing three years of full-time study.
In Sri Lanka, he studied at Hotel Management at Claremont Hotel School from 1994 to 1997.
He also an apprentice at Ramada Renaissance, Colombo.
Ferdinand received training from world renowned chef Jean Pierre Pialler. When Pialler opened his own restaurant in Canada, Le Palace, he offered Ferdinand a position of Executive Chef.
