With hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, Pastry Chef Antonio Bachour is a big name in the industry. He shared his interesting life during his time in Jakarta.

ANTONIO GREW UP in Puerto Rico and was interested in the art of pastry from a young age. In the mid 60s, after few stints living in Brazil, Colombia, and New York City, his Lebanese-Chilean parents settled in Río Grande, Puerto Rico. On the island, his father opened a string of businesses, including a bakery selling the buttery, citrus-infused cakes called sobao alongside flan and Spanish-style creations adorned with colorful meringues made with pastry cream. He mainly attributed the interest to the pastry world to his happy childhood spent in his family’s bakery shop. However, Antonio’s obsession with sweets was fueled by his mother which he considered to be a powerful influence. At home, young Antonio was fed with homemade desserts.

Some nights, there would be cheesecake or flan served on the table. On others, there were freshly fried doughnuts or tembleque, Puerto Rican recipe for a jiggly coconut milk pudding similar in texture to pannacotta or jello. “It’s sweet and creamy and rich with coconut flavor, it’s actually completely vegan and dairy-free, made from coconut milk and cornstarch, rather than gelatin. It’s perfect for entertaining since there are few who can’t enjoy it.' Considered as one of the best pastry chefs in the world today, Antonio’s texture-rich and creamy desserts have been featured in numerous pastry publications around the world. To date, he has published three books and traveled extensively around the world giving workshops and speaking at conferences.

His pursuit of perfection along with a knack for social media, has earned him a special place in the industry and a crowd of admirers. For his desserts, Antonio likes to work with chocolate and tropical fruits especially passion fruit and coconut which he said to be versatile and diverse. “There are many things you can mix with the ingredient. I also like to work with products from Elle & Vire such as Sublime, Cream with Mascarpone and their butter. It has versatile flavor and easy to work with. They are also very textury and creamy. I like them to be creamy and textury.' Asked on which flavor should people use more often in their dessert, Antonio said that people should use more vegetable like green peas, summer peas or beets

in their desserts. He said that the incorporation of vegetable in the dessert would accommodate those that don’t like sweets too much in their dessert. After all, everyone always have a room for dessert regardless of their preference. “There is a trend on that and we are also going back to the classic things,' he argued. In the near future, he is planning to open two shops; one in Miami and another in Manila. He is also planning to open a school and workshops. He has a very good reason for getting settled. “I spent more time on airplanes and in hotel rooms than in kitchens or at home. I rarely see my wife. I can’t take the stress of constant travel anymore. I have been traveling non-stop for four years,' he said with a laugh.

There are many things you can mix with the ingredient. I also like to work with products from Elle & Vire such as Sublime, Cream with Mascarpone and their butter. It has versatile flavor and easy to work with.