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Sweet Taste of Success for MCEC Pastry Chef at Valrhona Competition

MCEC Executive Pastry Chef, Alessandro Bartesaghi has been named the winner of the Regional Semi Finals Asia Selections, in the C3 Valrhona Chocolate Chef Competition, held in Hong Kong on 30 September.

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Now it’s sixth year, six pastry chefs from across Asia Pacific competed in the prestigious competition, producing 30 petit fours and 12 plated desserts within five hours.

Each candidate was required to produce an original and creative plated dessert, as well as petits fours, based on the theme: “Bahibé 46%” - the single origin Dominican Republic couverture milk chocolate from the Valrhona range.

Fellow competitors included:

  • Guillaume Lopvet - The Star Casino, Sydney

  • Sylvia Jiang - Mandarin Oriental, Wangfujing

  • Francesco Mannino - The Langham, Shenzhen

  • Samuel Jonathan - Four Seasons, Bali

  • Gail Ho - Meta Restaurant, Singapore

Alessandro’s two desserts, Elegance and Miss Beamilla, won the judges over and qualified him for the international C3 final in Singapore next March.

Alessandro said the award was a career highlight.

“It was an incredible feeling competing amongst such great pastry chefs and being judged by some of the most talented pastry chefs in the world," Mr Bartesaghi said.

“I’d like to thank Valrhona Asia Pacific and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for their support and look forward to Singapore 2020.”

The international final will take place in March 2020 in Singapore, during the Food & Hotel Asia Convention.

Alessandro’s winning dishes
'Elegance'

Pear terrine, ginger and Bahibé crémeux, pear and Heilala Vanilla gel, pressed sable, Bahibé ice cream and caramel tuile.

'Miss Beamilla'

Coffee and hazelnut sable, soft caramel, Bahibé crémeux, coffee infused whipped ganache.