A panel of top chefs has named a 23-year-old student who attends West London College as The Chefs’ Forum 2023 Student Pastry Chef of the Year.
Kai Whittaker, a patisserie and confectionery Level 2 student, faced tough competition from other student pastry chefs from across the country but his rum baba dessert proved to be the judges choice.
Kai’s baba au rhum, was soaked in rum and filled with coconut chocolate ganache and cream. It was plated on a Gio Gold plate by Wedgwood and contained chocolate by Republica del Cacao. The highly praised baba also contained passion mint, pineapple and fruit curd and was topped with crowns of Italian meringue.
Franciane Tartari, lead judge said: “This year we set a high bar for the students, and they really delivered. Kai Whittaker’s rum baba was a real demonstration of skill and showed why it is so important to study the craft of pastry. Every element of his dish was perfect, and he was a worthy winner in a strong field.”
An excited Kai, who collected a hand-painted trophy by luxury tableware brand Wedgwood, commented: “It is such a privilege to win this great competition. I can’t believe it. The judging panel is as good as it gets. Wow!”
Second place in the competition went to Katrina Tañas Atienza from the University of West London and third to Jack Morris, Coleg y Cymoedd,
Denise Charles, head of curriculum for service industries at West London College said: “We were delighted to host this prestigious competition for the second time and enter it for the third year running. We were absolutely over the moon to have two of our students in the final and that one of our learners won. We really are so proud of Kai and the hard work he has put into this competition. I would like to thank all finalists and their lecturers for visiting and cooking at West London College. They were all an absolute credit to their colleges. The future of patisserie in the UK is looking very bright indeed!”
Full list of the judges
Franciane Tartari – Head Pastry Chef and International Judge
Cherish Finden – Bake Off: The Professionals Judge
Michael Kwan, former West London College student – Executive Pastry Chef at The Dorchester and UK Pastry Team
Michael D’Angelo – Head Pastry Chef at Louie London
Benoit Blin – Executive Pastry Chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons/Bake Off: The Professionals Judge
Thibault Hauchard – Executive Pastry Chef at Claridge’s
Enrico Carloni – Head Pastry Chef at The Peninsula
Biju Joshwa – Executive Pastry Chef at Sheraton Grand Park Lane
Nelson Sa – Head Pastry Chef at South Place
Chef’ Forum founder Catherine Farinha added: “The Student Pastry Chef of the Year Competition is an important part of our calendar and to get so many interested students who are keen to be involved is very encouraging. This year’s finalists all gave everything and it was a joy to watch from the sides.”
