Ever wanted to see how to Cast Sugar Hologram Effect? Anil Rohira, Patrice Caillot, and Dereck Poivier represented team USA at the Coupe du Monde in Paris (held January 2003).
They received a Best of Show award for their sugar showpiece (for which we supplied a small but effective dragon mold).
Stunning work, Gentlemen!
Technique Demo
Anil Rohira, corporate pastry chef for Albert Uster Imports and team USA leader shows us a technique that he developed for creating a sculptural illusion in sugar. Anil’s creative techniques enabled team USA to win the award of Best Sugar Showpiece at the Coupe du Monde in Lyon, 2003.
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- A miniature dragon was sculpted and cast in a urethane rubber material. Anil then cut a geometric shape out of a piece of .5 inch thick neoprene rubber. The flexible urethane dragon is set inside the stencil.
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- Clear Venuance crystals are carefully poured over the dragon. The stencil is only filled (halfway) with a .25 inch layer of Venuance crystals.
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- A variety of pigmented Venuance crystals and metallic powders are used to create a marbleized flame effect below the dragon.
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- Anil uses a propane torch to make the surface of the Venuance crystals as smooth as glass. After the Venuance crystals have cooled, the neoprene stencil is carefully removed (not shown).
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- Anil flips the Venuance crystals casting over so that he can remove the rubber dragon.
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- The flexible dragon is removed to reveal the negative impression of the dragon in the surface of the Venuance crystals.
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- The negative impression of the dragon is dusted with metallic powder in order to highlight its detail.
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- The (cooled) Venuance crystals casting is carefully repositioned into the neoprene stencil. The casting is placed so that the negative impression of the dragon is face up. Anil “backfills” the stencil with a second layer of .25 inch thick (clear) Venuance crystals.
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- While the second layer is still liquid, Anil uses a knife tip to swirl pigmented Venuance crystals to create a second layer of marbleized flames.
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- After the isomalt has cooled, the neoprene stencil is removed, revealing the 3 dimensional illusion of a dragon soaring high above the flames.
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- Team USA’s piece at the Coupe du Monde 2003
The result is stunning! Great technique. Thank you, Anil.