After three days of intense competition, Guillaume Lopvet from Sydney took out the Savour Patissier of the Year top honour in front of a panel of esteemed judges who scored more than 100 dishes over the course of the event.

Held from May 27–29, the three-day competition saw 30 of the best Australian and international pastry chefs gather in Sydney to compete in one of the industry’s most illustrious events, the 2018 Savour Patissier of the Year. Aspiring pastry chefs plated up their very best tarts, éclairs, entremets and desserts for a shot at taking out the prestigious title of Savour Patissier of the Year 2018, along with $15,000 cash and over $30,000 worth of prizes.

Crowds gathered daily to watch the competition with dishes created by the talented patissiers impressing not only the spectators, but also the exceptional panel of judges, which included World Chocolate Master, Frank Haasnoot; award-winning chocolatier, Melissa Coppel; Director of the Callebaut Academy in Chicago, Jerome Landrieu; and Chef at Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School, Paul Kennedy.

Competition founder Kirsten Tibballs, also owner of the Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School and widely considered one of the world’s greatest pastry chefs, said she was nothing short of impressed by the finalists in this year’s competition.

“The talent I see from these young pastry chefs continues to blow me away. It’s amazing to stand in the arena and watch each of the competitors so composed and focused. It really excites me to see what this next generation of pastry chefs are creating and how they interpret classics. We’ve seen amazing dishes that incorporate the competitors’ own unique flare.”

Paul Kennedy, competition judge and Savour’s Executive Pastry Chef said, “Finalists continue to get better every year, producing new and innovative concepts that are unique to their own individual style.”

The final day of the competition was tense, leaving it down to a nail-biting finale to decide the winner. The winner was decided by combining the highest scores from each of the categories. Guillaume Lopvet from Sydney’s Sepia Restaurant was named the overall winner of the 2018 Savour Patissier of the Year competition.

Congratulations to the other category winners:

Tarts: Philip Khoury
Éclairs: Tat Man Ricky Wong
Desserts: Esteban Garcia
Entremets: Kevin Gully