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Kapampangan Arvin Garcia takes the spotlight in the competition 'The Great Australian Bake Off'
SBS Filipino
18/09/202413:20
"I'm proud of our food. I've always looked up to Filipinos who can use different platforms to promote Filipino food; so for me to be able to highlight my Filipino heritage on 'The Great Australian Bake Off' means a lot to me."
Melburnian nurse and self-taught baker Arvin Garcia will be competing in season 8 of 'The Great Australian Bake Off', premiering on September 8 on Foxtel/Binge.
Snacking in between meals
Garcia hails from Pampanga, the Philippine province renowned for having the "best cooks" and the tastiest of dishes.
"My grandmother would feed us at least six times a day," he laughs, adding, "As Filipinos, we have breakfast and then merienda or snacks; after which we have lunch and then the second snack of the day ... There would always be snacking in between meals!"
Garcia shares that the snacks his grandmother would make were traditional Filipino treats and desserts.
"I missed them a lot when I got to Australia, so I taught myself these traditional bakes."
Pandesal and ube halaya
One of the traditional bakes Garcia missed was pandesal, a type of Filipino soft bread roll often eaten for breakfast.
"There's this Filipino revolution in Australia now; but when I moved here around a decade ago, some Filipino food items were hard to find.
"One of the things I had trouble finding was pandesal. I missed it so much ... It's funny, but I've never baked bread before trying pandesal. I didn't even have a mixer then. I just looked for recipes online."
Look — I tried; but it didn't look like the pandesal I was missing.Arvin Garcia, self-taught baker
He eventually perfected the bake and admitted that he's very particular with the taste and texture of the treats of his childhood.
Garcia, who won the top prize at the for his ube cake, admits he is very particular about the taste and texture of ube halaya, the base of ube-flavoured dishes and desserts.
"The ube halaya of Pampanga is different from others I've tried. I remember the taste and texture, so it doesn't feel quite right if the taste and texture are not the same.
"Aside from our cooking method, I think the difference comes down to the main ingredient. Our ube is distinct. It's of a different quality. It comes from our neighbouring communities ... the Aetas from Tarlac and Zambales cultivate these crops."
'Food means so much'
Armed with his childhood memories of food and his new learnings as a self-taught baker, Garcia applied for 'The Great Australian Bake Off' after being prompted by his friends.
"I didn't think I had a chance," he laughs.
"I went through interviews, a challenge involving baking a cake for three hours, submitting both a savoury and sweet bake, and a technical challenge ... It was nerve-wracking."
After passing each step, Garcia became part of the cast.
I was looking forward to meeting a group who love to bake. My friends don't bake; so I was excited to meet a tribe of bakers who I could share my passion and learnings with.Arvin Garcia, Self-taught baker
"I was excited to represent my Filipino heritage as well ... to see how I could feature our bakes and culture."
Despite his excitement, Garcia admits he was insecure about the skills he could bring to the table.
I was worried about my skills, about the flavours I could create ... how that would translate; but I was surprised that I was able to deliver, that I could showcase my heritage.Arvin Garcia, Self-taught baker
"The challenges were hard, but I realised I could pull from my own experiences — not just from baking, but from my family back home, from the food I was exposed to. I was able to show the dishes that mean a lot to me.
"Food means so much — it brings people together. Ultimately, that's the reason why I bake."
