The Australian team has been named for the Panettone World Championship, which is set to be held once again in 2025.

In this competition, which builds on the success of the Coppa del Mondo Del Panettone, teams of pastry chefs from around the globe will gather in Milan, Italy, from October 14 to 18 to battle it out to create the perfect panettone.

The competition will see 12 teams travel to Italy to take part, including from Australia, Argentina, Taiwan, France, Venezuela, China, and Japan.

The Panettone World Championship was created with the aim of making artisanal panettone known at an international level by comparing the different cultures of those who produce the dessert – starting from the mother yeast.

The Australian team will consist of Simon Veauvy from AP Bread, Franco Villalva from To Be Frank Bakery, Alejandro Luna from Sonoma Bakery, Quentin Berthonneau (Oji House) and Jonny Pisanelli (formerly Sonoma Bakery).

Quentin, who helped to form the Australian team, said preparations for the competition have been going well, and hands-on training would resume after Easter.

“We have been able to have a few meetings on what direction to go, and have also been able to do a test batch with Franco (Villalva),” he said.

“We currently have two dates for training in Melbourne with Franco where we will put the products up for sale to raise some money. Then we will head to Sydney to train all together and do the same things.”

Quentin said at the competition the team was required to make a traditional panettone, a chocolate panettone, and an innovative panettone served with gelato showcasing the flavours of home. Then there will be some decorated panettone and a single portion dessert based on the concept of circular economy and reducing food waste.

When it came to selecting the Australian team members, Quentin said he had reached out to people he believed could bring some important elements with them: including attitude, team work and skills.

“We have some strong panettone bakers but they are also all great pastry chefs,” he said.

The last team Panettone World Championship was held in 2023 and saw Team Italy claim gold for the best traditional artisanal panettone, with Japan coming in second and Argentina in third place. The Italian team also claimed the top spot for their chocolate panettone and savoury panettone