Chef cooks up pastry win

Staff writer, with CNA





Pastry chef for 85℃ (85度C) Bakery Cafe Chen Li-che yesterday won glory for Taiwan internationally after he bagged the championship at this year’s Global Chef Challenge in Stavanger, Norway.

Chen, who represented the Asia-Pacific region, dazzled the panel of judges with his magnificent chocolate display, titled the 3D Reflection of Deep Blue Ocean, which features a colored image of a breaching humpback whale.

The biennial contest was held between Wednesday last week and yesterday by the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS).

Taiwanese chef Chen Li-che, left, holds up his trophy from Global Pastry Chef Challenge in Stavanger, Norway yesterday. Photo courtesy of 85℃ Bakery Cafe

Seven top chefs from the US, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Finland, Cyprus and New Zealand, representing seven regions of the world — Africa/Middle East, Americas, Asia, Europe Central, Europe North, Europe South, and the Pacific Rim — contested the challenge after winning the regional semifinals.

The bakery chain said this was the first time the company had been given the privilege to join the WACS — the largest international network of chefs’ associations, with more than 10 million members globally — under the name of Taiwan.

“It is also the first time a Taiwanese contestant has won the right to represent Asia in the finals and garnered the championship,” the bakery chain said.

Taiwanese chef Chen Li-che, left, poses beside his chocolate display 3D Reflection of Deep Blue Ocean, for which he won first prize in the World Association of Chefs’ Societies Global Pastry Chef Challenge in Norway yesterday. Photo courtesy of 85℃ Bakery Cafe

Chen, 36, has several other international awards, including a silver medal at the 2010 Asian Pastry Cup and a gold medal in the category of packery display at the 2013 Hong Kong International Culinary Classic.