As the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa‘s resident senior pastry chef and former assistant to Hell’s Kitchen tough guy chef Gordon Ramsay, Kaushik Chowdhury (pictured at far left) headed Team USA at the recent World Pastry Team Championship on July 6 and took home a well-earned bronze victory. Recently, we sat down with Chowdhury as he spoke about his passion for pastries, the value in repetitive practice and why it’s critical to keep chocolate at the right temperature. (Pretty pics after the jump.)

What were your feelings going into the World Pastry Championship, knowing that you’d be pitted against teams from around the world?
It’s a totally different ballgame. You have to be very systematic, well-planned and coordinated. It’s like a relay race. Each exchange has to be exact, and each member has to keep the same pace. It takes a lot of planning and it can be overwhelming.

Did you run into any surprises during the competition? How did your team manage to overcome them?
We were placed in the trigger kitchen (the first kitchen in the eight kitchen sequence) which means we had 1 1/2 hours less than the rest of the teams to prepare. We had to rush against time, keeping things like chocolate at the right temperature. That’s the key.

How was it working with a team who’s never competed in something like this before?
They had a fresh perspective, were focused and energetic. They weren’t intimidated, but one thing is working in the kitchen and another in a temporary set-up. In our training, that’s what we had to pay attention to.

How did you react to your team’s bronze victory?
There were 8 country teams and some have million dollar budgets so [our victory] was well-deserved. We were so happy because it was a close competition.

How do you handle a competition’s intensity and pressure, knowing that any small mistake can cost you time?
No matter how much you practice, there’s still pressure. But the pressure in the kitchen is the same as in the competition.

What drove you to become a pastry chef as opposed to a chef who can cook anything?
I was in hotel management before becoming a pastry chef. I always had a passion for food but wanted to do something artistic and visually appealing. Pastries have that creativity.

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