The artistic lines of a master pastry mold maker

Chinese New Year in Taiwan is celebrated by eating pastries. The ancient, intricate patterns of these traditional pastries are set off against the warm and moist texture of unique wooden pastry molds.

Pastry mold master Zheng Yong-bin (鄭永斌) suffered from polio when he was a child, making it hard for him to study. He embarked on a career in the architectural woodcarving industry, which gave him a foundation in carving, but it was a waning industry. To survive, he returned to his hometown of Taichung, where he encountered carved pastry molds. From almost the first moment he set his eyes on the beautifully carved molds, he decided to dedicate himself to the art and has never looked back.

In the past, the pastry mold industry faced price-cutting competition from plastic molds in China and Southeast Asia. As a result, today, few masters specializing in hand-carved pastry molds survive in Taiwan. However, Zheng Yong-bin still insists on hand-carving and has built up a collection of thousands of molds spanning the generations. By continuing to provide tailor-made molds for customers, he is protecting and carrying on this unique tradition.

以下為中文對照

粿印職人 賦予糕點美麗印記

台灣每逢年節喜慶，家家戶戶都會吃糕餅慶祝，這些傳統糕餅，上面總會印上充滿古意的花紋，細膩的圖樣，襯出木頭粿印特有的溫潤質感。

粿印老師鄭永斌幼時患有小兒麻痺，求學過程艱難，因而踏入建築木雕產業，打下雕刻基礎，然而卻面臨產業衝擊，為了維生，他回到家鄉台中，接觸食品模具雕刻，最後立定志向專心製作手雕餅模。

過去粿印產業曾面臨中國、東南亞的塑膠模具削價競爭，導致台灣專做粿印的師傅所剩無幾，但鄭永斌仍堅持原木手工雕刻，收藏上千個食品模具，並設計客製化花紋，守護傳統，將之發揚光大。

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