From passion to profession

Otto Tay was born in Muar, a small town in southern Malaysia. He worked for various bakery and hotel chains, conference centres and as a pastry consultant before winning a historic victory for his country in 2019. In that same year, together with pastry chefs Wei Loon Tan and Loi Ming Ai, he won the Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie (World Pastry Cup) in Lyon. Since then, he has been determined to introduce Asia to French patisserie. In the summer of 2022 he opened the pastry shop Voila in Kuala Lumpur together with his friend and fellow world champion Loi Ming Ai. ‘The name is both a reference to the French pastries we make as well as a welcoming invitation that says ‘Come see what we’re creating here!’ Moreover, we want the name to reflect that we are now at a point where we can give back to our family, friends and Malaysia: voila, here it is. We are extremely proud of what we’re able to present here and also offer consulting and masterclasses at Voila Studio. It’s fantastic to be able to do this! I’ve turned my passion into my profession.’

Ever since he was a child, pastry chef Otto Tay knew that he wanted to be a baker. ‘I could also have chosen to be a hairstylist or a Formula One driver or a photographer. But my goal from a young age has always been the same: I wanted to make beautiful things with sugar and chocolate and really make a difference as a pastry chef.’

Although Otto Tay has become enamoured with French traditional pastry products and techniques, he very much enjoys working with local ingredients. ‘In Malaysia we have wonderful flavours and products, such as various teas, local spices and purple sweet potatoes. I also like to work with Gula Melaka: an aromatic sugar that comes from palm trees. These kinds of ingredients inspire me and I enjoy using them in my creations.’ Debic cream and butter are also indispensable to Otto Tay in his bakery. ‘They are the basic ingredients that allow me to create something magical. They are such versatile ingredients. Cream that you can whip up with nothing but air to make amazing creations. But if you use it for cooking, you can make a filling with it. In one of my recipes, I mix cream with almonds that I have toasted till almost burned. After soaking overnight, the cream tastes and smells like toasted almonds. Butter also lends such a wonderful aroma and helps in creating the different textures. Think of the difference between a croissant and a biscuit. That’s what I mean by magic! It’s up to you to make something wonderful with it.’

The climate in his home country is a challenge for the pastry chef from Malaysia. ‘We have four seasons here: hot, very hot, super hot and incredibly hot. That’s a challenge if you want to prepare beautiful desserts and, especially, if you also have to transport them. So I used to put a lot of gelatin in my desserts to make sure they didn’t become runny too soon. Thanks to Debic’s cream, I can now reduce the amount of gelatin I use. Debic is more stable and this allows me to bring out the true flavour without having to use too much gelatin. I can whip the Stand & Overrun so stiff that the fat from the cream creates a stable dessert that will not collapse easily when kept cold. This consistency is invaluable. With Debic’s products, I can count on this without losing out on flavour or making the dish look less beautiful. On the contrary! Debic’s butter is also very good in this respect. Because it has a fixed melting point, the butter retains the same texture and consistency throughout the year. I don’t have to worry about it at all. This allows me to concentrate optimally on my creations.’

Otto is grateful to be able to work with his hands every day. ‘They help me draw out my creations and then weigh and add ingredients very precisely. In my hands, my creations come to life. I use them for piping cream to decorate cakes and desserts. Starting with good basic ingredients, my hands can create the most stunning finished products. That is what I call magic.’
‘With Debic Stand & Overrun, I can use less gelatin in my creations.’