These confections are brought to life by Pastry Chef Harshal Naik, who believes that dessert can be fun.

“It always comes at the end of the meal, so that’s what you will remember the most; those are the taste buds that you will carry from this property,” he said.

With a 12-year career as a Carnival Cruise Line pastry chef under his belt, Naik’s work has been nothing short of memorable, securing a spot on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship in 2022, where he made it to the top five competitors.

Finding his place in Bedford County, Naik enjoys working with his team to make sweet treats a more immersive experience at the resort.

Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa pastry chef Harshal Naik places a tray of croissants on a rack. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“I feel like this is one of the most relaxed, beautiful and very respectful towns,” he said of Bedford.

Naik grew up in Goa, India, which is the country’s smallest state, known for its beaches. It’s quite the opposite of southcentral Pennsylvania, considering Bedford’s harsh — at least to Naik — winters.

“Sometimes, in the winter, I curse myself,” he said with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘What am I doing here?'”

He never imagined himself as a pastry chef. His childhood dream was to join the navy and eventually become a geography teacher, teaching students about earth science and preparing them for the armed forces.

While taking college courses, he and his family endured hard times after his father, Vasu Dev, a successful artist in Goa, passed away, and they lost their house.

Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa pastry chef Harshal Naik hand dips strawberries into chocolate. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Everyone in town believed his father could do anything artistically; his fame came from sheet styrofoam decorations. He was also a talented singer and musician.

“I guess I had some of the art in me,” Naik said. “When I joined pastry, I think it naturally came to me when I’m making cakes or something like that,” he said.

Naik’s uncle, who was a restaurant manager, asked Naik about becoming a chef instead, telling him that “you can take a spoon and taste food and you get $30,000, $40,000.”

With little knowledge of the profession, Naik was sold on the idea and applied for an internship at the Institute of Hotel Management in Goa.

Gaining interest in the pastry department, he then worked at the JW Marriott and the Taj Cidade De Goa Horizon before transitioning into Carnival Cruise Line.

Working on a cruise ship was fun, he said, as he usually interacted with people from 60 different nationalities. Because everyone’s language was different, workers would develop their own shared language derived from popular regional terms.

“So it’s fun. And it’s a lot of work, but when you’re young, you don’t need sleep,” he said.

Working on the cruise line in his early 20s, he would request to work the night shift, so as soon as the ship docked at a location in the morning, he was out exploring the area. After a day exploring, he would sleep for an hour or two before starting his shift.

His favorite cities were Monte Carlo, Monaco and Venice, but he especially enjoyed the beaches at Key West and Half Moon Cay, known as Little San Salvador Island.

While visiting new locations, he enjoyed skydiving in various locations, including Sydney, Barcelona and Florida, where he did tandem jumps with Skydive Space Center at 18,000 feet.

His work on the ship, though, is what led him to Bedford.

Finding family through food

Creating desserts for about 4,000 guests, Naik said there were at least 100 guests with dietary restrictions the night he met his future in-laws in the late 2000s. He noticed that one card read that someone was deathly allergic to eggs, dairy, nuts and gluten.

That card belonged to his future brother-in-law, Trevor Roy, who was 16 at the time, and attending Bedford Area High School.

He was served chocolate-covered strawberries that night. Roy was hesitant about eating Naik’s dessert as his dietary palette was slim, knowing the risk of a mixup could be the difference between life and a severe allergic reaction or even death.

He took the risk and a bite and was fine.

“My parents were in awe,” Roy said. “My mom was all happy.”

Roy’s parents thanked Naik that night and continued to stick with him for the rest of the trip, knowing that he could make safe desserts for their son.

After a while, Roy’s mother sent Naik a Facebook friend request, asking about his cruise schedule. It was only a matter of time before Roy and his parents aligned their cruise schedules with Naik’s availability.

“It was a joy and a blessing to try the meals he made for me,” Roy said. “I didn’t think it was possible, and he showed me it was.”

Naik then met Roy’s older sister, Mindi. Over time, they developed a relationship and eventually wed in October 2019 in America and once again in January 2022 in India.

Being a newcomer to Bedford County, Naik was interested in working as a pastry chef at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa in early 2020. Soon enough, he secured a position as cook level 1 only a day before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world.

That day, the chef called Naik and told him that he was laid off. But he started again three months later and quickly rose through the ranks to pastry chef.

Taste and television

Before Naik, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa didn’t create elaborate displays made out of desserts, so it was a new process when he pitched some display ideas to his crew.

Naik made his first gingerbread display for Christmas 2021. It spanned 10 feet in the hotel lobby. While many guests made a big deal out of Naik’s display, he knew he could go bigger.

Since then, he’s created large gingerbread houses, an entire gingerbread neighborhood and a working carousel with motors and stainless steel string.

Pastry cook Christi Wroe said the gingerbread house displays are a lot of work, but they are the most rewarding project.

“He’s so talented,” Wroe said of Naik. “He’s amazing.”

His work also caught the attention of executives working with the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Show, who asked him to be a contestant in 2022 for their ninth season.

“I thought someone was scamming or pranking me, and I hung up the call. And then they called the general manager, and he’s like, ‘These people are trying to get a hold of you,'” Naik said.

Although it was difficult because he didn’t have an extensive knowledge of American desserts, he made it to the top five competitors.

“We were his biggest cheerleaders,” Wroe said. “We were so excited for him.”

“There are almost 12 pastry chefs; they’re working on the same task, but sometimes, their brains are so amazing, the things that they can come up with in a second or a minute, it amazes you,” Naik said. “It makes you realize how less of a pastry chef you are and how much more you have to learn from everyone. … It was a great learning experience and nice to be on TV.”

The competitors from season 9 still keep in touch through a group chat, where they can ask questions, share wisdom and send happy birthday wishes.

Giving back

On July Fourth, the Bedford Springs resort had a cupcake display in the lobby that resembled the American flag for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

However, this display was the work of more than just resort staff, as younger guests were encouraged to put on a chef hat and apron to design the cupcakes.

A few years ago, Naik said he noticed a bunch of extra hats and gloves in the department.

“I was like, you know what? It’s going to be more fun if the guest kids help us make the cake,” he said

Now, he said, the hotel has guests who return every Independence Day in hopes of decorating the cake.

Naik’s pastry displays are part of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa experience, general manager Amanda Burroughs said.

“He has a great passion for his craft and pastry,” she said. “We feel very fortunate to have him as part of the team, to have that level of talent.”

Meanwhile, Naik has also grown close with Bedford, discovering how much he appreciates the county’s warm atmosphere.

He recalled losing his wallet and his gloves a few years ago while jogging through town. The next day, he realized that his items were missing, so he retraced his steps back to the path, where he found his wallet wrapped in his gloves underneath the stone so it wouldn’t fly away.

“There are a lot of places in the world where it is impossible; that’s free money, and you can just take it away, but people are so honest here, and they are genuinely nice people,” he said.

That gratitude is met at the hotel as well, where many guests are very appreciative of his designs and desserts.

“I’ve never cared about hours or how much work stress I’ll take. I just want to give back all the good that I get from this town,” he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.

The Naik file

Name: Harshal Naik

Age: 42

Education: Goa High School, 2004; Institute of Hotel Management Goa, 2005

Family: Wife, Mindi; stepdaughter, Lela

Experience: JW Marriott, 2006; Taj Cidade De Goa Horizon, 2007-2008; Carnival Cruise Line, 2008-2020; and Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa, 2020-present