Callebaut® India announces its winner for Callebaut® Patissier of the Year, 2019

Mumbai, India 9th May, 2019– Callebaut®, the finest Belgian chocolate brand, announced Chef Prathna Narang (Lavonne Academy, Bangalore), as the winner of the second edition of India’s Callebaut Patissier Of The Year (CPY), 2019, the first runner up was Chef Danish Khan (JW Marriott, Bangalore) and the second runner up Mayukh Mazmudar (Trident Bandra Kurla). Exclusively dedicated to the theme “Future Of Chocolate”, the second edition witnessed a nationwide hunt for India’s best gourmet pastry chef via three boot camps, in Mumbai, Bangalore & Delhi respectively, from which the finalists were selected. The finale that was held at Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai, observed the jury of seven chefs which had been curated by Callebaut to judge the five finalists.

The winner Chef Prathna Narang was awarded the title India’s “Callebaut Patissier of the Year” won a trip to the Chocolate AcademyTM center in Belgium for a two-day course, Chef Danish Khan won a trip to the Chocolate AcademyTM center in Singapore for a two-day course and Chef Mayukh Mazmudar got a complimentary two-day master class with an international chef at the Chocolate AcademyTM in Mumbai.

The finalists had to experiment with colours, shapes and textures, to tickle the jury’s senses. The acclaimed jury of Callebaut included a panel of talented chefs- Chef Seung Yun Lee - Head of Chocolate Academy, Singapore, Chef Sarah Todd- Master chef Australia Contestant Season 6, Chef Vinesh Johny- Co-founder and Executive Pastry Chef of Lavonne Academy of Baking Science & Pastry Arts, India, Chef Avijit Ghosh - Corporate Pastry Chef for Hotel Leela Venture Ltd.), Chef Minette - Head of Chocolate Academy center in South Africa, Celebrity Chef Varun Inamdar, and Chef Vivek Kadam, Pastry Chef at ITC Hotels.

“Callebaut Patissier of the Year 2019 in India is much more than a culinary competition. It is an incredible journey for our chefs and chocolatiers in India to create great tasting delights using the finest Belgian chocolate brand,” said Denis Convert, Vice President for Gourmet, Barry Callebaut Asia Pacific. “As consumers in India are becoming more sophisticated and educated on all things chocolate, we are excited that Callebaut is working with chefs to fuel the excitement about the future of chocolate in India – which is already one of the fastest growing chocolate markets in the world.”

Deepa D’souza, Director Sales, Callebaut, India, added, “Callebaut Patissier of the Year 2019 was a great success for chocolate craftsmanship in India. This year's theme “Future of Chocolate” has definitely helped us to showcase the best culinary talent nationwide where creativity around future tastes, sustainability aspects and many more interesting interpretation of chocolate's future world was presented. The contest was really fierce where we shortlisted through vigorous boot camps in multi-city through many rounds that definitely has elevated the experience to the next level. Promising you we will be back in 2021 with the contest's next edition and I'm sure we will have to work really hard to move it to even greater heights.”

David Mathews, General Manager, Trident, Bandra Kurla, said “We were delighted to associate with Callebaut® India for the ‘Callebaut Pâtissier of the Year 2019’ finale held at Trident, Bandra Kurla. In line with our vision to celebrate culinary expertise and encourage young talent, we were honoured to be the venue of choice for this inspirational event where finalists of the competition plated up their very best creations in chocolate innovation, design and flavour. Assessed / judged by the highest caliber jury members from the world over, it was truly mesmerizing to watch a room of professional pastry chefs —each wholly concentrating on the task at hand”.

These contestants have received global recognition from leading craftsmen in the world of chocolate, and have also enjoyed the privilege of nationwide coverage.