Cherish Finden Explained
Cherish Finden (born 20 December 1967) is a Singaporean-born pastry chef. Born in Singapore, she trained to become a pastry chef and after moving to the United Kingdom, has worked as an executive chef at various hotels and restaurants and has won a plethora of awards for her work. Since 2016, she has served as a judge on .
Life and career
Early life and culinary career
Finden was born on 20 December 1967 in Singapore.[1] [2] [3] The youngest of her siblings, she began cooking for them when she was eight years old after her father became sick and her mother had to work.[1] At the age of 14, she began working as waitress and later asked if she could volunteer in the kitchen, thus inspiring her love of cuisine. When Finden was 16, she joined Shatec Institutes where enrolled on a course in pastry making, and later began working as a chocolatier before becoming a pastry chef, at Raffles Hotel and Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel.[1] [4] In 2000, Finden led a team of pastry chefs to win the IKA Culinary Olympics.[5] Finden is married to a financial director and they have a daughter together; they moved to London in 2001.[2] Between 2009 and 2017, she worked as an executive pastry chef at the Langham Hotel, a role which has earned her numerous awards.[4] [2] [6] During her first year, she won "Dessert of the Year" and in 2010, under Finden's leadership, The Langham's Palm Court won Tea Guild's "Top London Afternoon Tea" award.[1] She was also awarded "Pastry Chef of the Year" by the Craft Guild of Chefs in 2012 and in 2015, Finden was awarded The Macallan Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Gourmet Summit.[7] In 2018, Finden was appointed creative development chef at luxury chocolatier Godiva and the following year created the world's most expensive easter egg, made entirely of Belgian chocolate that cost £10,000.[8] [9] In 2020, Finden became the executive pastry chef at the Pan Pacific London, which opened in September 2021.[10] [11] Whilst there, she opened her own pâtisserie Shiok! which launched in May 2022.[12] She left her role at Pan Pacific in April 2023.[13]
Television
In 2010, Finden appeared as a guest chef on MasterChef Australia and .[1] In 2016, Finden became a judge on the BBC baking competition , a spin-off of The Great British Bake Off.[14] [15] [16] [17] After two series on the BBC, the show moved to Channel 4 in 2018 and was renamed Bake Off: The Professionals, and Finden has remained with show since.[18] [19] [20] [21] In 2017, Finden appeared as a mentor on Celebrity MasterChef, during an episode in which she led a team of contestants who had to re-create her pastry dishes.[22] In 2020, Finden appeared as a celebrity expert on an episode of the BBC game show The Wheel.[23] She has also made appearances on Heston's Great British Food, Junior Bake Off, and Saturday Kitchen.[24] [25] [26]
Filmography
Notes and References
- Web site: Cherish Finden, the executive pastry chef at The Langham Hotel London . Cacao Barry . 20 August 2023 . 3 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230203055047/https://www.cacao-barry.com/en-GB/chocolate-recipe/blog/cherish-finden-interview . live .
- Web site: How Singaporean chef Cherish Finden became a grand dame of British pastry . CNA Luxury . 20 August 2023 . 28 February 2023 . 9 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221209101144/https://cnaluxury.channelnewsasia.com/people/singaporean-pastry-chef-cherish-finden-london-uk-196796 . live .
- Web site: Five minutes with Cherish Finden . Delicious . 20 August 2023 . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820170049/https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/five-minutes-with-cherish-finden/amp/ . live .
- Web site: Cherish Finden . . 20 August 2023 . 14 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230614204312/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/2jkkzHzp72Qg0g2jNRmgcgk/cherish-finden . live .
- Web site: Cherish Finden . DML . 20 December 2021 . 20 August 2023 . 1 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230601181556/https://dml-uk.com/our-clients/cherish-finden/ . live .
- Web site: Cherish Finden leaves the Langham . The Caterer . 20 August 2023 . 10 February 2017 . 30 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230530013128/https://www.thecaterer.com/news/hotel/cherish-finden-leaves-the-langham . live .
- Web site: Cherish Finden Awards Host . The Cake Professionals . 20 August 2023 . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820170105/https://www.thecakeprofessionals.com/our-vip-awards-host . live .
- Web site: Godiva hires Cherish Finden for UK café push . Bakery Info . 20 August 2023 . 26 March 2018 . 6 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220706160651/https://bakeryinfo.co.uk/movers/godiva-hires-cherish-finden-for-uk-cafe-push/624745.article . live .
- Web site: Godiva spring Atelier egg: This is what a £10,000 Easter egg looks like . . 20 August 2023 . 17 April 2019 . 12 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200612132553/https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/living/godiva-worlds-most-expensive-easter-egg-a4119446.html . live .
- Web site: Cherish Finden named executive pastry chef at Pan Pacific London . Restaurant Online . 2 June 2020 . 20 August 2023 . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820170054/https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2020/06/02/Cherish-Finden-named-executive-pastry-chef-at-Pan-Pacific-London . live .
- Web site: Cherish Finden joins Pan Pacific London . The Caterer . 2 June 2020 . 20 August 2023 . 26 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230326000904/https://www.thecaterer.com/news/cherish-finden-joins-pan-pacific-london . live .
- Web site: Pastry Chef Cherish Finden launches her first standalone patisserie in London . Supper Mag . 27 May 2022 . 20 August 2023 . 29 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329044210/https://www.suppermag.com/stories/projects/pastry-chef-cherish-finden-launches-her-first-standalone-patisserie-in-london/ . live .
- Web site: Bake Off: The Professionals judge Cherish Finden leaves Pan Pacific London . The Staff Canteen . 20 August 2023 . 2 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230602191748/https://www.thestaffcanteen.com/amp/News/bake-off-the-professionals-judge-cherish-finden-leaves-pan-pacific-london . live .
- Web site: Great British Bake Off gets professional spin-off show . . 20 August 2023 . 2 December 2015 . 20 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230420170055/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-34984927.amp . live .
- Web site: Cherish Finden recipes . . 20 August 2023 . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820170108/https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/chefs/cherish_finden . live .
- Web site: Bake Off: Crème de la Crème review – a bland spin-off that feels like a neverending MasterChef quarter final . . 20 August 2023 . 30 March 2016 . 1 April 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200401054818/https://amp.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/30/bake-off-creme-de-la-creme-review-a-bland-spin-off-that-feels-like-a-neverending-masterchef-quarter-final . live .
- Web site: Another team leaves Bake Off Crème de la Crème, as judge Cherish swaps her ruler for weighing scales . . 20 August 2023 . 11 April 2017 . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820170633/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a825742/another-team-leaves-bake-off-creme-de-la-creme/ . live .
- Web site: Q&A with Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden - Bake Off: The Professionals . . 20 August 2023 . 17 May 2020 . 13 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210513224952/https://www.channel4.com/press/news/qa-benoit-blin-and-cherish-finden-bake-professionals . live .
- Web site: Bake Off: The Professionals 2023 Press Pack . . 20 August 2023 . 28 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230628073916/https://www.channel4.com/press/press-pack/bake-professionals-2023-press-pack . live .
- Web site: Who are the Bake Off: The Professionals judges Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin? . . 20 August 2023 . 6 February 2023 . 12 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230712132610/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/reality-tv/bake-off-the-professionals-judges/ . live .
- News: Bake Off: The Professionals review – at last, they've got the recipe right! . . 2 June 2020 . 20 August 2023 . 29 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221129160653/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jun/02/bake-off-the-professionals-review-at-last-theyve-got-the-recipe-right . live . Jones . Ellen E. .
- Web site: Celebrity MasterChef: A Star Is Born . . 20 August 2023 . 14 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714022315/https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/m000m841 . live .
- Web site: Michael McIntyre's The Wheel – Series 1, Episode 4 . . 20 August 2023 . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820170636/https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/proginfo/2020/51/michael-mcintyres-the-wheel . live .
- Web site: Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice gets X-rated thanks to some "cock and bush" . . 20 August 2023 . 21 September 2017 . 4 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211104215843/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a838733/great-british-bake-off-an-extra-slice-cock-and-bush-gaffe-jo-brand/ . live .
- Web site: Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice shocks with X-rated 'c**k and bush' slip-up from Cherish Finden and Jo Brand . . 20 August 2023 . 22 September 2017 . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820170643/https://www.ok.co.uk/tv/great-british-bake-extra-slice-14570648.amp . live .
- Web site: Bake Off The Professionals: Who are judges Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin? . . 20 August 2023 . 6 May 2018 . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820170552/https://metro.co.uk/2018/05/06/bake-off-professionals-judges-cherish-finden-benoit-blin-7524538/amp/ . live .