Showing how to bake a delicious lemon cake in a tutorial lasting less than a minute seems an impossible task. But in one of the pastry-making videos he has posted online, IFTM Lecturer Mr. Jeffrey Lao rises to the challenge and accomplishes the feat with aplomb.
Precautions to guard against the Covid-19 pandemic preclude physical attendance at most classes at IFTM, so Mr. Lao has gone online to keep demonstrating his passion for preparing food. The short tutorial videos he posts online are intended to inspire students at IFTM, and to pass on his recipes and other knowledge to a wider audience.
Mr. Lao specialises in making pastry and desserts. After graduating from IFTM with a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management, he pursued a career in the culinary arts. He did spells at the Mandarin Oriental, Macau hotel and at the Four Seasons Hotel Macao. He returned to IFTM in 2012 to teach, and is now one of the staff teaching the programme leading to a Diploma in Pastry and Bakery at IFTM’s School of Continuing Education.
During his career Mr. Lao has amassed awards for the pastry he makes, including awards he won in the prestigious Disciples Escoffier International competition in Shanghai, in the Hong Kong International Culinary Classic competition and in the Fonterra Foodservices Pastry Challenge contest. He is continuously adding to his knowledge and honing his skills by furthering his academic studies and regularly taking programmes of training given by renowned international bodies.
Mr. Lao has served as a trainer in skills competitions for youngsters. He helped prepare IFTM student Bili Chang for the 2019 WorldSkills Competition, held in the Russian city of Kazan. Bili won a medallion of excellence in the patisserie and confectionery contest.
Producing pastry-making tutorial videos is hardly a novel endeavour for Mr. Lao. Before the Covid-19 pandemic he made tutorial videos with students and other instructors at IFTM. The videos were meant for students to use in reviewing pastry-making processes after their practical classes. The experience he gained allowed him to make videos on his own once the Covid-19 pandemic struck, so his students could keep learning. The difference this time round is that Mr. Lao is presenting his tutorial videos to a wider audience, using his own social media accounts.
“I use my mobile phone and a tripod as basic equipment to film the cooking process,” Mr. Lao says. “Though each finalised video is only around 90 seconds long, it takes me about 5 hours to produce it, from purchasing the ingredients needed, to filming and editing it.”
The videos are not produced professionally, but the feedback from the viewers is positive, Mr. Lao says. “They can watch the videos anytime and anywhere, and they can review them again if they are not familiar with a certain process,” he says.
Mr. Lao enjoys making the videos. “It is beneficial for students,” he says. “More important, I hope more people can understand and appreciate the pastry chef profession.”
To watch the videos, go to:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffrey-Lao-109113384028993
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jeffreylao39
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/lao1988
