A figurine of folk singer Valya Balkanska has won a gold medal at the Cake International Birmingham. This time the award is not for singing - it is given for superb mastery in making figurines from sweet dough. The author of the sugar Valya Balkanska clad in a traditional costume from the Rhodope Mountains is Valentina Terzieva. Her sugar figurine has been made with utmost precision, with great attention to detail and to ornaments in the costume of the renowned folk singer. The statuette is 50 cm high and it goes with a written summary of the creative career of Mrs. Balkanska.

For sure, the choice of Valya Balkanska as a symbol of Bulgaria is not accidental. The singer has become internationally acclaimed with the folk song Izlel e Delyo Haidutin. In 1977 the song was included in a gold record of the US space shuttle Voyager to serve as a music message to outer space. This description has definitely impressed this year's jury at Cake International Birmingham. The prize is important acknowledgement for the talent of young Valentina Terzieva who has become a professional in sugar art.

Valentina went into sugar art all by accident. She has found a connection between the creative she puts into figurines and the two majors she has earned in Germany - in German and Spanish.  In the beginning literary studies provided a platform for creative thinking, and later she sought the freedom of creation in sugar art. „I lead courses in Sugar Art and modelling of sugar figurines, for both beginners and advanced students. I teach them how to make realistic figurines”, Valentina says.

„At first I was self-taught. This was back in 2011. I watched videos and read various manuals. So I tried to make figurines. I lead courses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and for the time being I've got no time for other work. This art has a great advantage - it is temporary. Once we enjoy its appearance - and taste, it is gone unlike other pieces of art doomed to get covered by dust. Lately, I visit trainings where I can learn new techniques and it is also a way to find out the latest trends and enrich my experience. I never believed I had such a talent but now I enjoy the work, and the success too.”

Valentina values most her awards from the past four years received from Cake International Birmingham. She has already had four medals in various categories.

„Last June after 17 years spent in Germany, I returned to live in Bulgaria again and I joined the contest in this particular category - in which everybody presents their own country. I wanted to present Bulgaria with something typical like the folk costume. This is how I decided to make a figurine of Valya Balkanska in a traditional costume. For the first time I joined Cake International Birmingham in 2012. I had made then a Thracian amphora from the celebrated Panagyurishte gold treasure and I won a bronze medal. My experience at international events suggests that Bulgaria is little known. Some are not even aware that the country exists. So, part of my mission is to help foreigners locate Bulgaria on the map of Europe and to learn about the country, its climate, nature, art and culture. There are many talented and creative Bulgarians worldwide who win prestigious awards. We are used to constant trouble, and so we tend to learn and adapt faster than other nations.”

English Daniela Konstantinova