I’m here at JW Marriot Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, working as socialmedia crew for Dessert Professional Magazine, covering the Carymax World Pastry Forum, Amoretti World Pastry Team Competition. The world’s best pastry chefs are here, judging. Let me share their bios with you…
President of the Jury
Robert Ellinger, C.M.B., C.E.P.C.
Robert Ellinger is Owner and Pastry Chef of Baked To Perfection, established in 1986, a retail/wholesale bakery operation in Port Washington, New York. Robert held positions as Head Pastry Chef for the Metropolitan Opera, The United Nations, The Water Club and The Garden City Hotel in New York. Born in Jericho, New York, Robert graduated from Sullivan County Community College’s Hotel/Restaurant Management Program with an Associate of Science Honors degree. Robert was then selected to attend Highbury Technical College in Portsmouth, England where he received the prestigious Chefs III Diploma. Robert rounded out his education when he returned and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from The Florida International University in Miami, Florida. In 1997 he successfully completed his Certified Master Bakers Exam and Certified Executive Pastry Chef Exam.
Denmark
Carsten Kej
Carsten teaches at the National Pastry School in Denmark, where he has been an instructor for the last six years. He has worked in Kuwait, Norway, Mexico and USA, in pastry shops, restaurants and hotels. Over the past several years, he has been an active competitor.
Bjorn Krau
Bjorn is a Pastry Chef at “La Glace”, the oldest pastry chef in Denmark. He was an executive chef. He holds a degree in international management. Bjorn is a former competitor.
Italy
Biagio Settepani
Biaggio Settepani came to the United States from Italy as a child, and began working in the local pastry shop at the age of 13, thus beginning his lifelong passion for pastry and baking. He opened his first pastry shop at the age of 21, and then took over Bruno’s Bakery in New York City. Biaggio continues to grow his business, expanding Bruno’s Bakery and opening Pasticceria in July 2000.
He attended classes in pastry arts through Cacao Barry US, The School of International Confectionary Arts, The French French_Pastry School, Patisfrance/Paris Gourmet, L’Ecole Lentore, and Decor Italia. As an instructor for the New School Culinary Arts, he hopes to give his knowledge and experience to the future pastry chefs.
Biaggio has competed internationally, and among his accomplishments are the 2001 Medal of the French Government at the Salon Philanthropique NYC, Best Sugar Showpiece at the 2001 and 2003 National Pastry Team Competition, the Silver Medal at the Patisfrance Pastry Competition in 1999, the Bronze Medal “Grand Prixe du Chocolate” France in 1999 and the Gold Medal at the Salon Culinaire Philanthropique in 1998.
Iginio Massari
He is the most popular Italian confectioner in the world. He is the owner of the Veneto pastry store in Brescia, belonging to the Relais Desserts International.
Trainer and president of the Italian team who won the Pastry World Cup in Lyon in 1997 and trainer of the Pastry World Champions UIPGC 2004, founder of the Accademia Maestri Pasticceri Italiani (Italy’s exclusive master patissier association) and of Cast Alimenti school, he also owns the restaurant Carlo Magno in Collebeato (Brescia).
He has been proclaimed confectioner of the year 1999-2000 and of the decade in 2003 and has won many awards through the years. Consultant in the alimentary field, he is also the author of some technical books.
Japan
Kanjiro Mochizuki
Kanjiro is the Executive Pastry Chef at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. In addition to working extensively in Japan, he received additional training at the Culinary Institute of America.
He participated at the Coupe de Monde de la Patisserie in Lyon in 1989 and was a team leader of the Japanese team for the 2002 WPTC.
Shinsuke Nakajima
Shinsuke Nakajima, 50, is the Executive Pastry Chef at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo. Nakajima’s delicious creations earned him star status long before he led the Japanese team to the top at the International Patisserie Grand Priz 2009 in Tokyo this past year. His signature Super Dessert Series includes masterpieces such as the Super Melon Short Cake, and sweets that combine Japanese ingredients such as sweet bean paste with Western staples such as puddings and roll cakes. A veteran on the pastry circuit, he and his team won the second prize at the 2002 World Pastry Team Championships in the United States.
Mexico
Stephane Treand, M.O.F.
Stephane Tread is Executive Pastry Chef at the St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach. He has worked internationally as an instructor and consultant. In 2004, Stephane became an M.O.F. (Meilleur Ouvrier de France), the top honor in the pastry industry in France. Specializing in sugar and chocolate showpieces.
Chef Treand has been in the pastry industry for over 25 years, winning awards shortly after his career began. In 2002 Stephane was a member of Team France at the World Pastry Championship in Las Vegas and took second prize in the international competition. In July 2005, he won the Food Network’s “Sugar Showpiece Challenge”, in Phoenix Arizona. Stephane’s latest title to add to his many accomplishments is 2008 World Pastry Team Champion alongside teammates Dimitri Fayard and Laurent Branlard.
Ramon Ramos
Ramon Ramos might be the most well traveled Ritz Carlton pastry chef in the world. In his almost twenty years with the Ritz Carlton organization, he has worked as a pastry chef or executive pastry chef at their locations in Laguna Nigel, Maui, St. Louis, Dearborn, Palm Desert, Shanghai and Los Angeles.
His goal is to continue to create signature desserts and become a better manager and successful businessman.
Ramon was featured in Pastry Art & Design magazine and participated in the 2007 Coupe de Monde.
Singapore
Gael Etrillard
Gael is currently the Executive Pastry Chef at legendary Raffles Hotel Singapore.
Gael has begun his career in the Champagne area in France. After his two years of apprenticeship, he went on doing a chocolate specialization and worked for several Michelin Star restaurants such as “Les Crayeres” and “Auberge des Templiers”.
He moved to the UK in 1995 and after four years to Asia where he worked in several countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore and opened hotels in Vietnam, China and the Phillipines. He also trained with M.O.F. Stephane Glacier, Jean Michel Perruchon and Pascal Caffet as well as three Michelin star chef Pierre Gagnaire. In 2007 he was given the opportunity to work as an instructor /demonstrator for Cacao Barry Asia Pacific where he was in charge of 11 countries. He is now overlooking the operation at the Raffles Hotel Singapore which includes a chocolaterie and 12 outlets.
South Korea
Woong Seo Jung
No bio available at press time.
In Cui Ryu
No bio available at press time.
United Kingdom
Nicholas Lodge
Nicholas Lodge is one of the top instructors in the current generation of sugarcraft artists at The International School of Sugar and Confectionary Arts since 1991, his work has been requested from the Royal Family and the White House alike. Nicholas was nominated, voted and approved for “Who’s Who in America” in 1994 and was voted into the International Cake Exploration Societe (ICES) Hall of Fame in 2001, being the youngest person to receive this honor. He is internationally known, not only for his unique skills in sugar art, but also for the quality of his demonstrations and classes, at which he inspires enthusiasm in everyone who attends. This reputation has also involved him in judging sugar art events around the globe.
Gary Hunter
Gary Hunter is the Head of Culinary Arts at Westminster Kingsway College, London. It is the country’s leading and most prestigious chefs school that has produced many talented chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Anthony Worral Thomson.
Traveling abroad frequently to work with leading chefs in countries such as USA, France, Holland and Belgium, Gary also works extensively throughout the UK giving culinary demonstrations and instruction. He has a strong practical background with international and Michelin restaurant experience and has represented the UK as an international judge in the World Chocolate Masters, indeed, he is currently recognized as one of the leading chefs in the art of chocolate.
In 1997 Gary represented the UK Government in Pakistan promoting UK food and has recently worked as a consultant in Italy. His role as UK Ambassador for Barry Callebaut UK enables him to present seminars and product knowledge for the industry. The Association Culinaire Francaise honored Gary with the Palmes Culinaires Diploma in 2003 and he has been awarded many gold medals for culinary competitions in the UK.
The author of three professional culinary books, published by Thomson, intended to help student and the catering industry chefs, Gary is currently writing a fourth book for publication in the new year. In 2008 he led a Junior chefs team from Westminster Kingsway College to Erfut GER to represent Great Britain at the World Culinary Olympics.
USA
Ewald Notter
Ewald Notter, co-owner of the Notter School of Pastry Arts in Orlando, Florida, is considered a leading expert in the field. Known as an outstanding teacher, competitor, judge and consultant, he was the first inductee into the Pastry Art & Design Magazine’s Hall of Fame. In 1999 his team won the gold medal at the first Beaver Creek Team Competition and repeated this victory in 2000. In 2001 he competed as part of the United States National Team at the Coupe de Monde de la Patisserie in Lyon, France, and the US won its first gold medal. In 2003, Ewald was honored by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences with the 5 Star Diamond Award as “One of the Finest Confectionary Chefs of the World”.
Anil Rohira
After his graduation from the CIA in 1995, Chef Rohira went on to work at the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in New Hampshire, The Wigwam in Arizona and The Cloisters in Georgia. Chef Rohira was the shoo-in for a spot as Ewald Notter’s teaching assistant at the International School of Confectionary Arts. At the school, Chef Rohira joined forces with Chef Notter, to prepare and co-instruct the 24 Week European Pastry and Baking Program; a specialized program that explores leading pastry and baking methodologies, avant-garde design and detailed excellence.
Chef Rohira accepted the position as Corporate Pastry Chef for Albert Ulster Imports in 2001, a position he has held for 8 years. As of September 2009 Anil Rohira accepted the position as Corporate Pastry Chef for Felchlin Switzerland. Based in Mumbaie, he will be in charge of Demonstrations and Seminars in the Middle and Far East and will contribute to successfully promote Felchlin products in that area.
2010 Honored Distinguished Chef Johnson & Wales University; 2009 Pastry Chef of the Year National Pastry Team Championship in Phoenix, AZ; 2006-2007 Named one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Art & Design Magazine; 2003 Team USA Captain and winner of “Best Sugar Showpiece” at the Coupe de Monde, Lyon, France.
France
Stephane Glacier, M.O.F.
Stephane began his career in 1988 working at la patissiere Alain Jeanne. He worked in New York from 1993-1995. He taught at “L’Ecole Bellout Conseil” and at “L’Ecole Lenotre”. He has won numerous competitions including the European Championship of Sugar Art and several competitions in 1997. In 2000, he became “Meilleur Ouvrier de France Patissier”. In 2001, he launched his own business “Glacier Formation et Conseil” doing demonstrations and teaching all over the world.
David Wesmael, M.O.F.
Glacier and World Pastry Champion, he is the Research & Development Corporate Chef for the famous Groupe Holder in France, including the Paul Patisserie Group and the not less famous Laduree pastry shops in Paris, and world-wide. Chef David Wesmael holds the Meilleur Ouvrier de France Glacier title and was a member of the French Pastry Team who captured the Gold Medal in the World Pastry Championship in Phoenix, AZ in 2006.
Jeffrey J Kingman, CEO Chalkboarder