The 2022 World Chocolate Masters was held October 29-31 in "le beau" Paris. According to Candy Industry, 18 chefs, in five assignments, showcased their chocolate talent with creativity. All of this was made possible by months of training in their atelier and in the Chocolate Academy, together with their "chocolate godparent" — a Chocolate Academy chef assigned to each finalist to support and advise during their preparation for the competition.
Invited to express their vision of how tomorrow may taste, the competing chefs faced a series of challenges designed to evoke all the senses and put their expertise to the test. The challenges were titled: #Share, #Wow, #Taste, #BONBON, #You, #Transform, and #Design...
DAY 1: ALL FINALISTS
Assignment 1: #SHARE
SHARE is all about sharing moments of chocolate. Not just in the digital world but in the physical one as well. During their first assignments, our finalists are tasked with creating a chocolate gift for 6 people or more. It should have the power to replace the bottle of wine or plate of cheese at the dinner table. Generous, festive, and with a unique chocolate 3D printed design at its heart. What will our finalists come up with?
Assignment 2: #WOW
A true Chocolate Master can #WOW any customer walking by. And that's just what our finalists will have to prove during this task. Can they tell a story that grabs your attention instantaneously? Can they bring fantasy to life? To make you live your chocolate dreams? Here is where their design skills come into play. How will they reinvent the window display?
DAY 2: ALL FINALISTS
Assignment 3: #TASTE
TASTE is what it is all about. A World Chocolate Master should be a master of flavors first and foremost. This is our finalists' chance to prove their worth. During this assignment, they have to make a completely day-fresh chocolate patisserie from scratch. It should encompass their vision of tomorrow, a Cacao Barry couverture chocolate of their choice, and a local ingredient that is sourced close to their home
Assignment 4: #BONBON
Chocolate lovers love a good #BONBON. During the fourth assignment, our finalists are tasked with creating a highly innovative bonbon that also shows their vision of #TMRW. The bonbon must be fresh, contain at least two different textures, and should have a shelf life of two weeks. Excited to see what the national champions come up with?
Assignment 5: #YOU
During #YOU, our finalists have a chance to tell their stories. What leads them on this creative quest to become the world's best chocolate chef? What inspires them? And what do they believe #TMRW tastes, looks, and feels like? A one-minute power speech is all they have. Who will come out on top? And which 10 chefs will go through to the next day? Join us live to find out.
DAY 3: TOP 10 FINALISTS
Assignment 6: #TRANSFORM
10 finalists left. With the competition coming to a close, our chocolate champions need to take every opportunity to impress our jury. #TRANSFORM is all about showing versatility and skill. Our finalists must create a unique and compelling idea (think mono-concept store) and transform it into 3 varieties for 3 target audiences. No easy task. But who said being the world's best chocolate master was supposed to be easy?
Assignment 7: #DESIGN
#DESIGN that activates the taste buds. Here, our final 10 need to combine every chocolate skill they have to create a small, hand-crafted yet modern design piece that is completely edible. A final chance to impress. A final chance to prove themselves worthy of the World Chocolate Master title
The 2022 World Chocolate Masters 1st place winner... Spain's Lluc Crusellas!
The judges were impressed by his attention to detail, creativity, and knowledge of flavor. On Day 2, he impressed them with his bonbon and "taste" assignments. During the Super Final, the judges noticed that he replaced 100% of the sugar in his brioche and still got a fluffy and moist dessert.
The top three in the competition included:
- Lluc Crusellas of Spain
- Antoine Carréric of France
- Nicolas Nikolakopoulos of Greece
Meet the rest of the top ten finalists.
The heads of the jury included:
- Amaury Guichon of The United States of America - HEAD OF THE JURY
Guichon is the host of Netflix's School of Chocolate, Amaury Guichon, leads the jury at the World Final. He is the world's most-followed chocolatier and pastry maker, with approximately 9 million fans on Instagram. His craftmanship and skill are recognized, by many, as being the gold standard for chocolate creation. He will lead 18 jury members to pick the next World Chocolate Master with his team.
- Kirsten Tibballs of Australia - HEAD OF JURY FOR TASTE
As Head Of The Jury for Taste, Australian pastry chef and celebrity, Kirsten Tibballs was responsible for evaluating all creations where taste prevails. She looked for excellence in every assignment.
- Yusuke Matsushita & Sachi Takagi of Japan - HEADS OF THE JURY FOR ARTISTIC SKILLS
Japanese chefs Yusuke Matsushita and Sachi Takagi were the Heads Of The Jury for Artistic Skills. The World Chocolate Masters chose the chef-duo for this because of their exceptional ability to create visual language. Their unrivaled attention to detail and dedication has already brought creativity to a whole new level. They expected the finalists to do the same.
