Callebaut, the Belgian chocolate brand, brought the regional qualifying rounds of its flagship event, Callebaut Pâtissier of the Year 2024 for India to a close, in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. The competition, which is now in its third edition, aspires to create a platform in India that enables chefs in the country to craft their signature creations and showcase their creativity.
Each of the rounds announced two winners who will now move on to compete at the finale, which is scheduled to be held in Mumbai in May.
The regional winners are Nilesh P Dewulkar, pastry chef of Sofitel BKC, and chef Yash Chhabria, co-founder of Cacaobleu Haute Chocolaterie, Mumbai from the western region, Anshul Grover, pastry chef, Indian Habitat Centre, and Millan Shoran, chef de partie, JW Marriott Aerocity from the north, and finally, Sandeep Sharma, commis chef, JW Marriott Kolkata, and Krishanu Dey, chef de partie, Ritz Carlton Bangalore from the south.
Talking about the competition, chef Pratik Deshmukh, the head of Chocolate Academy Mumbai, said, “The Callebaut Pâtissier of the Year event is a prestigious event for chefs and chocolatiers to showcase their expertise and make a mark nationally. The 2024 theme ’Craft Your Signature’ is aimed at encouraging creativity and originality. The qualifier rounds were highly impressive, and we witnessed excellent designs and unique styles of creating signature dishes using the Callebaut chocolates. Now, we eagerly look forward to the magic our six finalists will unfold at the finale event in Mumbai.”
“Callebaut’s aim is to enable chefs to craft at their best! With CPY, we are going a step further and providing a platform for talented Indian pastry chefs in India to showcase their craft to the large community nationally and globally,” added Dhruva Jyoti Sanyal, managing director, Barry Callebaut Cocoa & Chocolate Ingredients India.
Sanyal also talked about the level of innovative thinking they witnessed during the qualifiers in terms of bringing together flavour pairings and textures to represent each chef’s individual journeys. “Callebaut Patissier of the Year upholds our commitment to supporting the chef community with not only great tasting chocolate but also a platform to showcase their signatures crafted using our Finest Belgian Chocolate,” he further said.
And as for the finale, it will be a two-day event where the contestants will be challenged to create delicious signature dishes that showcase their originality across bakery, pastry, confectionery, and showpiece categories.
Chef Romain Renard, head of Chocolate Academy Dubai, and Arvind Prasad, founder and executive pastry chef at Whitecaps International School of Pastry and the Indian ambassador for Callebaut Chocolates, will join Pratik Deshmukh as the jury for the final contest.
The qualifying events were organised in association with The Chocolate Academy as the Knowledge Partner, Kitchen Aid as the Appliance Partner, BW Hotelier as Media Partner and Zee Zest as the Lifestyle Partner.