After three days of intense competition, Guillaume Lopvet has been crowned the 2018 Savour Patissier of the Year.
Hailing from Sydney’s Sepia Restaurant, Lopvet was crowned the winner with the highest combined scores from each of the categories.
Meanwhile, Philip Khoury took out the top spot in the indivual tart catergory, Tat Man Ricky Wong won the éclairs category, Esteban Garcia won desserts and Kevin Gully won the entrements category.
The annual competition saw 30 of the best Australian and international pastry chefs battle it out for the title, over three days at Foodservice Australia in Sydney.
This year’s judging panel included World Chocolate Master Frank Haasnoot, award-winning chocolatier Melissa Coppel, Callebaut Academy in Chicago director Jerome Landrieu and Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School executive pastry chef Paul Kennedy.
“Finalists continue to get better every year, producing new and innovative concepts that are unique to their own individual style,” syas Kennedy. “Across the industry, we’re seeing a shift away from really sweet dishes and a focus toward great flavour, which was definitely evident in various dishes served up at the competition.”
Kirsten Tibballs, owner of the Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School and founder of the competition, says she was blown away by the finalists in this year’s competition.
“It’s amazing to stand in the arena and watch each of the competitors so composed and focused,” she says. “It really excites me to see what this next generation of pastry chefs are creating and how they interpret classics. We’ve seen amazing dishes that incorporate the competitors’ own unique flare.