Cotard is Canada’s ‘chocolate master’

April 22, 2015, Montreal — The Canadian National selection for the 2014-2015 World Chocolate Masters took place on April 17th at the new Chocolate Academy Centre in Montreal.

Michaël Cotard of Cotard Chocolatier, Christophe Bonzon of Chez Christophe Pâtisserie Chocolaterie and Christophe Sportellini of Maison Christian Faure demonstrated their chocolate expertise and creativity during this breath-taking competition, in which they were evaluated by esteemed and renowned chocolate and pastry professionals.

Michaël Cotard was on his third attempt, and as we say, the third time’s the charm as he won the title of the 2015 Canadian Chocolate Master!

The World Chocolate Masters, the sixth edition of the premium international competition solely dedicated to the art of chocolate, started in September 2014 with a series of national selections that have been held around the world. Contestants have competed against each other in national pre-selections for the chance to represent their country at the 2015 grand international final in Paris, Oct. 28-30, 2015.

President of the jury: Philippe Vancayseele, technical director, Chocolate Academy Montreal

Members of the jury:

• Nicolas Dutertre, technical adviser, Chocolate Academy Montreal
• Roland Del Monte, M.O.F., pastry chef, Sofitel Montreal
• Jean-Marc Guillot, M.O. F., ice cream and sorbet master, Sorbets et Glaces Essences
• Eric Gonzalez, chef, Mont-Tremblant Casino
• Christophe Morel, chocolate master, CM Chocolatier
• Nancy Samson, chocolate master, Nancy Samson Chocolaterie

As well as esteemed media jury members:

• Lesley Chesterman, gastronomy journalist, The Gazette
• Philippe Mollé, gastronomy journalist, Le Devoir, Première Chaîne de Radio-Canada

The theme of the competition was “Inspiration from Nature”: a challenging theme that demands the utmost from each contestant.

During this contest entirely dedicated to the creative use of chocolate and “Inspiration from Nature,” each contestant had to make one chocolate showpiece and one moulded praline. All new this year, the “cake of the day” assignment had to be prepared with daily fresh ingredients and the “chocolate to go” was another new task in which participants created a whole concept of chocolate snack. At the end of this exciting competition, Cotard became the Canadian Chocolate Master and will represent Canada at the grand international final in Paris on October 28-29-30, 2015.

The Canadian World Chocolate Masters 2015 — Results:

• 1st place: Michaël Cotard
• 2nd place: Christophe Bonzon
• 3rd place: Christophe Sportellini

Category prizes:

• Best showpiece: Michaël Cotard
• Best Cake of the Day: Christophe Bonzon
• Best Bonbon: Christophe Bonzon
• Best “Chocolate to go”: tie between Christophe Bonzon & Michaël Cotard
• Media prize “coup de coeur”: Christophe Bonzon

To view the competition photo album, please visit http://on.fb.me/1P6pxAh.

For more information on the competition, please visit www.worldchocolatemasters.com.