TACLOBAN CITY — Always dream big and work hard to make your dreams come true, said Jesuit Paul Nugas, a native of this city and winner of the recent 2018 Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show (OSASS).
Nugas competed at OSASS, the biggest cake show in the world, along with two other Filipinos who also earned awards.
More than 700 participants joined the competition with USD500 cash prizes at stake.
The 34-year-old won the gold medal both in the Best of Division and Best of Show and received two other first place ribbons during the event in Oklahoma City.
“I am an ambitious person, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. I think that it even provided me that perfect amount of motivation, to create a blueprint of how I can make things happen. If I can do, so can you,” Nugas told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an online interview Wednesday.
A registered nurse by profession, baking has been his passion even since he was a child. His profession did not hinder him from doing what he loves.
“I just finished my post master’s degree for Family Nurse practitioner, passed my board certification a month ago and now, I am transitioning into my new role as a vascular Surgery Nurse Practitioner at Albany Medical Center,” he said.
During the 2018 OSASS held on Oct. 1, Nugas’ entry was inspired by Sleeping Beauty ballet dancers, using wedge blue as the main color, based on the gown of Princess Aurora in the 1959 version of the movie.
The floral garlands were based on the garland props of a Sleeping Beauty ballet performance. The string work was patterned after the skirt of ballet dancers.
The 2D Royal icing was hand-piped, patterned after the Sleeping Beauty collection of Jasperware ceramics.
“The first year I competed, I won second place in two of my entries under semi-professional division. I challenged myself to do better. Competing in OSSAS gave me insights on how I can improve myself, how to refine my work, and how to be a better competitor. I think most people enter the competition for (the) wrong reasons,” Nugas added.
“A lot of them always would think about the prizes they can take home, but I think the core value that competitions like OSSAS provide us, is essentially to improve and be better. It is always an honor and a great pleasure to display a cake among the world’s best and have your cake under the scrutiny of master sugar artists,” he added.
Nugas started baking when he was still young, with the full support of his parents. His mentors in the Philippines were Heny Sison, Rose Marie Lim, Jill Sandique, Penk Ching, and Jackie Ang Po.
“I also have a great admiration for Ron Ben-Israel from New York City. I took his sugar flower classes, and that has provided me a good foundation in mastering sugar art,” he added.
In 2015, Nugas also joined the 3rd Annual New York Cake Show where he bagged the grand prize.
Nugas’ family moved to Albany, New York in 2013 after Super Typhoon Yolanda flattened his hometown in Tacloban. (Roel Amazona/PNA)
