Mahbooba Assadi
Mahbooba had previously tried many different courses – pathology, accounting, legal studies, bookkeeping. However, she didn’t really enjoy any of them.
Her true passion has always been baking. So, she decided to pursue her dream of creating and selling delicate sweets, infused with the flavours of her native Afghanistan.
She started a Certificate III in Patisserie at Chisholm Institute of TAFE; which is where she first discovered her passion for sugar art design. She found joy crafting sugar flowers and delicate leaves, intricate sculptures and flowing icing ribbons. She then started to weave her native Middle Eastern ingredients into her creations.
During her course, the COVID lockdowns had a significant impact on her mental health. At first, she struggled with being alone, but her supportive lecturers and classmates helped her to recover and learn to channel her energy in a positive way.
To deal with stress, Mahbooba started hitting the kitchen to create voluminous wedding cakes, birthday sweets or delicate pastries, all decorated with sugar art.
Mahbooba has since proudly participated in several external patisserie competitions.
Her first foray into competitive baking was the VIC TAFE competition, in which she won a bronze medal.
She then won first prize for her baking at the Royal Melbourne Show. This was a significant achievement for her only her second competition.
At the Dandenong Show, she won first prize in both the “Dolly Varden” and “Wedding Cake” categories and was awarded the title of ‘Reserve Champion’.
Mahbooba’s advice to anyone considering further education: “Don’t worry about what people say, do what you love!”
Her next goal is to publish a recipe book, in three languages, focusing on the fusion of Middle Eastern and Aussie sweets.
We congratulate Mahbooba on being selected as a finalist in the Vocational Student of the Year category of the 2024 Chisholm Education Awards.