Filipinos left their mark on culinary history, seizing a prestigious place at the 2025 World Pastry Cup held in France. Among 17 other elite teams, the Filipino team placed 11th, marking an impressive achievement, which was accomplished by a stellar team of chefs: Head Chef Vergel Iral, Head Chef Angelin Diganadis, Head Chef Jeriel Enkarnado, and Head Chef Jan Aguirre.
Each team had to create a series of desserts and artistic masterpieces within the grueling nine-hour time frame, demonstrating their mastery in working with chocolate, sugar, and ice sculpture. The Filipino team highlighted Filipino delicacies on the global stage thanks to thoughtfully crafted desserts that showcased some heritage elements of the country.
Their signature dish featured a rose-flavored guava, fruit, beloved Filipino nuts, paired with coconut, calamansi, malunggay, and basil to create a tropical but refined flavor profile. Enveloped in sugary egg foam, the dessert combined Dalsi Namelaka, banana confiture, a rich chocolate mousse from Karabik, and the rare salt Asin Tibuok, proposing a balance of sweet, salty, and smoky notes.
Japan became the champion, followed by France, but for the Philippines, the true victory lay in the opportunity to be among the best in the world, establishing a new standard for the country's presence in international competitions. The Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie (World Pastry Cup) is a prestigious international pastry competition that takes place every two years, showcasing the best pastry chefs in the world.
In the meantime, their restaurant dessert named 'Golden Harvest' celebrated Filipino produce, including farm-fresh bananas and local rice grains, transformed into mousse, pudding, nougat, and pinku. The centerpiece became their signature chocolate creations, a bold reinterpretation of the popular Filipino delicacy.
The grand final of 2025 took place on January 24-25 at the Sirha Lyon exhibition in Lyon, France, featuring teams competing under the theme of national heritage.
