VOORHEES - The warm, sweet scents of cake batter and imported sugars are the first greeting visitors receive as they enter Simplicity Desserts in Voorhees.
Next, the pastel-colored walls and accents, nuances of green, yellow and lilac, serve as a familiar smile, beckoning patrons to try a bit of dessert.
The pastries, both light and dulcet, leave you satisfied and eager to try more. Maybe the mango flan, the pineapple parfait, or perhaps, a few macaroons for good measure?
Photo by: Douglas M. Bovitt/Courier-Post
Pastry chef Mohan DeSilva poses in front of the show cases at his Voorhees bakery, Simplicity Desserts.
And a firm handshake follows from Chef Mohan De Silva of Cherry Hill, whose smile grows when he sees someone enjoying one of his pastries.
"The most important thing in this field is you have to like it, it has to come from inside of you," said De Silva. "When I first saw someone pulling sugar to sculpt something I said 'that is the most amazing thing I ever saw.' And I knew what I wanted to do."
"The first time I burned myself, but learned from my mistakes, got better, and have grown to like it," said De Silva.
After a year studying architecture in his native Sri Lanka, De Silva decided to use his patience, precision and attention-to-detail to build multi-layered cakes rather than skyscrapers.
From there he worked his way up, spending most of his career as a pastry chef for Marriott Hotels. His career took him and his young family to the Bahamas, Saudi Arabia, Virginia, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and now South Jersey.
The husband and father of two, and grandfather of two, has just celebrated his first anniversary since opening his own bakery, Simplicity Desserts, in Voorhees.
"I think my signature as a chef is the quality of what I do, after having been with one company for so long," said De Silva, a winner of dozens of culinary medals and awards, including several from the International Culinary Olympics. "I learned a lot from Marriott. They taught me about family values. Sometimes I miss that excitement, having to put out tens of thousands of plates and pastries, but here I have relationships with my customers. It's one-on-one."
A few years ago, De Silva spent three days with his Marriott team making more than 40,000 pastries for President George W. Bush's second inaugural ball.
His sugary confections, both artistic and delicious, have been enjoyed by presidents, foreign dignitaries and pastry-lovers around the globe.
Now in a smaller setting locally, De Silva is experiencing a change of pace, and a chance to share his secrets of sugary success with a younger generation of chefs.
"He's really knowledgeable and meticulous with what he does," said Jenny Finley, a young chef from Utah who works at Simplicity Desserts. "He knows how to make the customers happy and wants to make sure he gets everything right."
Photo by: Douglas M. Bovitt/Courier-Post
Mohan DeSilva puts the final touches on a sugar cake topper at his Voorhees bakery.
"I've been watching him to see how he does the sugar and cake writing," said Holly Bloodworth, a chef from Medford Lakes also working for De Silva. "I hope I can stay here and learn from him."
De Silva has even seen some of his talents rub off on his 8-year-old granddaughter.
"I was making cupcakes for her class, and she asked to decorate them and made the most beautiful, little rosettes on top of each one," said De Silva, smiling.
Though they've traveled the world, De Silva and his wife of over three decades, Sunethra, as well as their children and grandchildren have remained close, now residing in South Jersey, close to the family's business.
He may be happy with the success of Simplicity Desserts, but De Silva continues to add the icing to the top of his cake.
"My dream is to open pastry cafes, like they have in Europe," said De Silva, both animated and excited as he explains his vision. "It wouldn't just have pastries. It would have sandwiches, scones and quiche."
Until then, De Silva plans to continue sculpting sugar confections, to keep making cakes and pastries taste sweeter and to bring smiles to the faces of his customers again and again.
