Japan is the winner of the 10th World Pastry Cup!
The world of sweet delicacies on showSculpting an ice block using a chainsaw, creating a tear of joy out of drawn sugar and turning out a colourful fruit dessert… The World Pastry Cup is a contest of contrasts. An event that brings together pastry chefs from 20 countries… which invariably ends with an extraordinary procession of sweet chefs d'oeuvres, in the presence of cheering supporters.After the tests, the ice masterpieces are placed inside refrigerated showcases.The World Pastry Cup was created in 1989, at the initiative of Gabriel Paillasson, President-Founder.Young Mo Kim, famous Korean pastry chef, was the president of honour and Christophe Michalak, pastry chef at the Plaza Athénée in Paris and captain of the team that won the previous edition, was the international president.The World Pastry Cup was held on January 21st and 22nd, as part of the Sirha - International Hotel Catering and Food Trade Exhibition, at Lyon-Eurexpo.
JAPAN won the 10th World Pastry Cup.
Yukio ICHIKAWA, Toshimi FUJIMOTO and Kazuya NAGATA received the Gold Medal and €12 000 in prize money.
BELGIUM achieved second place.
Dominiek VANDERMEULEN, Thierry WINANT and Pol DE SCHEPPER won the silver medal and €7 000 in prize money.
ITALY achieved third place.
Fabrizio DONATONE, Angelo DI MASSO and Fabrizio GALLA won the bronze medal and €4 000 in prize money.
Several Special Prizes were also awarded, as follows:
- "Ice Sculpting" prize: South Korea
- "Chocolate" prize: USA
- "Sugar" prize: USA
- Best "Poster": Spain
- Best "Team Spirit" prize: South Korea
- Prize for the "Best promotional campaign": Singapore
- "Special Press" Prize: Italy
- "Degustation Prize": Belgium. The team was presented with the "Vase de Sèvres" offered by the President of the French Republic.
Who are the 10th World Pastry Cup champions?
Yukio Ichikawa
Graduated from the Seishin culinary school, the captain of the Japanese team has explored many styles since then, and practiced his pastry in various cake shops all over the world. Thus, he earnede his spurs in 1999 at the Yokohama 10 Bammkan restaurant. The same year, he left for Switzerland in order to follow the training courses of the Richmond pastry school, before joining the teams of the "Ruesgegger" cake shop. When he returned to Japan in 2001, he was hired at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, before beeing appointed in 2005 as a pastry chef. He dream s of travelling to cocoa bean producing countries.
His hobbies: football.
Toshimi Fujimoto
Having dreamt of becoming a pastry cook from his earliest childhood, Toshimi Fujimoto made his culinary apprenticeship at the Musashino pastry school. in 1990, he entered the Yokohama Prince Hotel. He has been working at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo since 2003.
His hobbies: travelling and cinema.
Kazuya Nagata
Aged 27, Kazuya Nagata followed the training courses of the Nagoya culinary and pastry school from which he was graduated in March 1998. Since April 1999, he has been working at the Nagoya Mariot Associa Hotel. He dreams of owning his own pastry shop.
His hobbies: sports, especially football.
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