On 15 November, 5 chefs will compete against each other to win the prestigious title of Latin America Chocolate Master before competing in the World Chocolate Masters World Final.

Read all about their motivations, inspirations and challenges here!

More information about the Latin America qualifying rounds

Age: 32
Country: Mexican
Work: Chef and founder @ Syokorat and Member of the Mexican Pastry Team

“For me, the World Chocolate Masters is the most important chocolate competition worldwide. The main factors and challenges for this competition are to be able to develop new products based solely on our talents based on a specific them with the goal of creating an impacting shock that makes us remember all the techniques acquired throughout the years and that will be well used during the contest”.

“In preparation for this contest, I am polishing the basic techniques that I have learned over the years. Remembering a Chinese proverb that says: “Before being a dragon, you have to suffer like an ant”, working hard starting from the basics until I reach my objective”.

“This is the second time that I participate in the World Chocolate Masters, my first time was a great experience, I got to meet a lot of chefs that I now consider to be great Friends. Without a doubt, because of these types of competitions I have learned a lot from others and this has helped me to forge my character. I have acquired new techniques and I have had great experiences that have been my best teachers”.

“Talking about the amount of ingredients and recipes that are part of my creations is a very interesting topic. Every time that I practice new recipes are born and there are a lot of changes this is why it is very difficult to specify the amount to determine an exact amount. What I can say is that I have ruined a lot of ingredients and each mistake gets me closer to creating the perfect recipe. I will be looking to show the essential flavors of the products that I use keeping their essence by adding just a few secondary flavors that I hope do not exceed more than seven ingredients but this will be determined on the day of the competition”.

Age: 27
Country: Mexican
Work: Pastry chef @ Avith Chocolateria Gourmet
Contests: Xocolatl Jr., Premios Tar, Coupe Du Monde de la Pattisserie, and Best Chocolatier

“For me, the World Chocolate Masters is the most important chocolate competition worldwide, it is a contest that every chocolatier aspires to participate in, in my case this has been my dream since I was 17 years old. The mere fact that I am a finalist is an honor”.

“In preparation for this contest I have taken a series of trainings on a weekly basis. Cacao Barry does not only test our knowledge but also our techniques, abilities and creativity”.

“This is the first time that I participate and what I am certain of is that this contest will give me personal and professional growth as well as career projection”.

“Behind every stage/test that we have to go through in the contest, there are at least 7 recipes and many hours of manual work, this for each artistic piece. When talking about ingredients, there are a lot included but if we want to give an average number I would say that there are at least 30 ingredients per recipe if we consider that the chocolate is used in different presentations and varieties.”

Age: 29
Country: Mexican
Work: Coordinator of the Gourmet Division @ Chocolates Turin

“For me, the World Chocolate Masters is the most important professional challenge that I have encountered up until now. It is the best individual contest worldwide.

“I have been practicing the recipes and techniques that I will use during the contest over and over again and I have had to opportunity to work with industry professionals to ask for special pointers”.

“This is the first time that I participate in this contest, I hope to play a good role and I hope to win”.

“Behind every creation there are a lot of recipes, for the Snack-on-the-go I have 6 recipes and for the Patissiere of the Day I will use 8 recipes and I will be using approximately 60 ingredients”.

Age:
Country:
Work: Founder @ Sharmei Chocolatier

“For me, the Chocolate Master is the best, it is a privilege to be in the Latin American semifinal and it is a dream come true. I have worked very hard for this for many years”.

“Regarding my preparation, from the moment I received the approval y looked for help and support of the best pastry chefs in the world: Frederic Hawecker, Wei Loon Tang, Regis Ferey, among others. I travelled to Paris and was there for a month, when I returned home, I started training using the best ingredients, optimizing time, preparing myself psychologically and physically to be able to withstand the pressure and the stress that this contest will generate. This way I will be able to live it and enjoy it 100%.”

“I had the opportunity to participate two years ago and I came in third place. This has motivated me to prepare myself even more to achieve a better spot”.

“Related to the recipes and ingredients for my creations, I made a lot of trials to check the texture. From the beginning it was very clear to me that the chocolate flavor was the most important, followed by a good crispy texture combined with fruit flavors like mango, lemon and raspberry. I will be using an estimate of 30 ingredients, 9 of these are Cacao Barry products”.