The World Chocolate Masters started today. To mark the start of the event, all twenty competing chefs were welcomed on stage today at Le Salon du Chocolate. Following the spectacular chocolate fashion show, all chefs were introduced to the crowd. 20 of the world’s greatest chocolatiers and pastry chefs will enter the arena as contemporary gladiators.
In round 1 on Wednesday and Thursday, the participating chefs will compete for a spot in the super final on Friday. During that super final only the top 10 can battle for the ultimate title of World Chocolate Master. During round 1 chocolatiers will craft a ‘Sweet Snack on the Go’, a molded praline and an artistic chocolate showpiece. The chefs will also present their unique ‘Or Noir’-chocolate that each of them made in Cacao Barry’s OR NOIR™ laboratory.
A professional jury will judge the creations, taking account of presentation, taste and technical skills. Only ten of the twenty chefs will make it to the ‘Super final’ on Friday, where they have to create a ‘Patisserie of the Day’ and an artistic creation ‘Where Nature Goes’.
| Wednesday 28/10 | Thursday 29/10 | ||
| Country | Chef | Country | Chef |
| Germany | Sabine Dubenkropp | Turkey | Serdar Çakır |
| UK | Alistair Birt | China | Roger Fok |
| Japan | Hisashi Onobayashi | Brasil | Diego Lozano |
| Mexico | Slawomir Korczak | France | Vincent Vallée |
| Spain | Pepe Isla | Switserland | Geraldine Müller-Maras |
| The Netherlands | Ramon Huigsloot | Belgium | Marijn Coertjens |
| Russia | Andrey Kanakin | USA | Dan Forgey |
| Taiwan | Chia Feng Tsai | Italy | Massimo Carnio |
| Canada | Michaël Cotard | South-Korea | Sang Kyun Jeong |
| Poland | Lukasz Aniol | Denmark | Tor Stubbe |
Livestream and voting
WCM will be livestreamed and can be viewed all over the world on the WCM website and the World Chocolate Masters channel on YouTube. Viewers can also cast a vote for their favorite “Chocolate Showpiece”. These stunning creations are the most spectacular pieces people may witness in the chocolate craft.
Each finalist has to create a stunning 2 meters-high showpiece, starting from a base that doesn’t exceed 40x40 cm. This extreme balancing act requires top chocolate creativity, extreme discipline and skill. Mastering this combination took about one-and-a-half year of full dedication from each contestant to get through to this final.
Voting can be done on the website of WCM (www.worldchocolatemasters.com) and is available from Thursday 29 (3PM CET) till Friday 30 (5PM CET). The finalist with the highest scores wins one of the most prestigious awards during the final: the Social Media Award.
