Malaysian Baking Reality Show To Hit Television Again on June 7!

Damansara Perdana’s Qliq hotel hosted the Bake & Sell: The Decorating Edition (Season 2) press conference today. Before we head into the meat of things, it’s worth noting that the bizarrely-named establishment has been marketing itself as the “snazziest meeting place in town”.

There’s a collection of detailed plans specially designed for business meetings which we find quite fascinating. You could get lunches and “inspiring morning refreshments” plus fruit-infused jugs of water on top of the usual seats-large table-AV equipment deal, so that’s refreshing. Check out the Qliq, maybe?

In any case, Capital TV held the press conference and launch ceremony for Bake & Sell: The Decorating Edition on Friday. Bake & Sell is a homegrown baking reality show: a concept that seems long overdue given the high interest in baking as of late.

Attendees were treated to a video teaser of Bake & Sell: The Decorating Edition (complete with dramatic music) which featured all of the show’s contestants and also provided a preview of an upcoming challenge that the contestants will face.

It’s not entirely about baking however: the ‘Sell’ in the title reflects the weight given to entrepreneurial skills in the show’s judging process. This focus on the business aspect of things is meant to “provide guidance to potential entrepeneurs in what is needed in order to develop a successful business venture in the industry”.

The winner of season 2 of Bake & Sell will receive a business contract worth RM50,000 of pastry supplies sponsored by Circle K Malaysia.

We noted during the conference that there was only one male contestant in the line-up and asked Rosalind Chan, Founder and CEO of the International Centre of Cake Artistry (ICCA), how that came about.

“The caliber and experience of the contestants on the show are high. We had to be very selective on forming our line-up of participants,” simply stated Rosalind.

Rosalind looked like a fashion magazine editor; her outfit was très chic and she seems younger than her real age would suggest. This Wilton Hall of Fame inductee owns quite an impressive set of credentials too.

Rosalind has a Masters in French Pastries and a Certificate in the Art of French Pastries from the renowned Ritz Escoffier in Paris, a Masters Diploma in Cake Decorating from the renowned Wilton Cake Decorating School in Chicago and an advanced Wilton Method Instructor Certificate just to state a few.

We later found out that there were a larger proportion of females applying to be in the show, and most of the male applicants didn’t stand a chance when it came to skill and technique. Rosalind however points out that the lone male contestant was a “beautiful thorn among the roses” and was one to watch out for.

According to her, Malaysia is very exposed to the art of making pretty cakes as well as the celebrities in the cake industry. This is the second season of Bake & Sell and there is a strong slant towards decorating in this installment of the series.

“Every kid you ask now would want a fantastic birthday cake: they want a 3D cake or something extravagant,” the impeccably-styled Rosalind claimed.

“I think in the cake industry right now, people are more into decorating than before. It used to be that the taste was more important than the look.”

“Now,” Rosalind ended with a smile, “everybody wants the look.”

Bake & Sell: The Decorating Edition will premiere at 6:00pm on the 7th of June. Watch the show only on Capital TV (Channel 420), available exclusively via HyppTV.