R. L. Clement is a veteran who made a turning point in the Sri Lanka's cake design industry over the years.
Educated at St. Lucia School, Kotahena, Clement was born with an aptitude for creating a variety of handicrafts and ornaments from an early age.
During the times of Sheila de Silva, Mallika Joseph and Saroja Anthony who had made a name for themselves in the Sri Lankan cake design industry at that time, Clement took to cake modeling as a profession.
Rather than following the imported cake designs in Sri Lanka at that time, Clement became popular for the in-house style cake models that he created.
Despite having a zero international experience, Clement made use of his innate creativity in the early days to become a pioneer in the art of cake modeling through intense dedication.
He was later privileged to learn more at the Wilton International Cake School and in 1996 he was awarded a scholarship by the ICES in the United States in recognition of his talent.
He is happy to recall that his cake designs for the ICES Summit in Baltimore, Washington, was the talk of the town back in the early years.
Many who witnessed the magnificent cake designs urged Clement to compete in the 1991 cake competition organised by the British Sugar Craft in Birmingham, England.
Sri Lankan cake modelling was written in gold when Clement won the Gold Award at the competition for the Best Cake Designer of the year which also brought fame to Sri Lanka. He won the award twice in 1991 and 1992.
In addition to that, Clement won the Sugar Crafts Grand Prix Competition that was held in Japan in 2001.
For 38 years Clement has been managing the ‘Malmee Cake Exhibition’ where he teaches creations and talents to the students at his cake design school.
Clement is proud of the talents of his students and assists them in every way for them to achieve a bright future in the cake modeling industry.
Have being dedicated to the Sri Lanka's confectionery industry for over four decades he shared his thoughts on the present cake culture.
The subject of cake designing is a subject with limited theory applications and plenty of practical work. Clement has been invited by countless locals and foreigners to educate them on the art of cake modelling and design through online platforms.
This is would be futile. 'It is like learning to swim while being on the shore', he said.
Clement said that his students who have studied confectionery knowledge in countries such as the United States and United Kingdom, have now reached a point where they have started to teach a new generation of students.
“Instead of looking at only the monetary gains we should study the craft and technology properly and impart that knowledge to the next generations,” Clement said.
Clement and his wife Sriyani Perera have two daughters Dinusha and Shanika who both reside in the United States.
Following in their father’s footsteps, they have both won a number of international cake design awards throughout the years. Moreover, Shanika is an instructor at the Wilton International School of Cake Studies and has a licence to teach in Sri Lanka as well.
It could be said that Clement and his daughters are some of the most iconic cake designers in the history of the Sri Lanka's cake industry.
