The Philippines has carved its name in culinary history after earning a coveted spot at the prestigious at the World Pastry Cup 2025 held in France.
Competing against 17 other elite teams, the Philippine contingent placed 11th, a feat accomplished by a stellar team of pastry chefs: Chef Vergel Iral, Chef Angelyn Dignadice, Chef Jeriel Encarnado, and Chef Gian Aguirre.
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Each team was tasked with creating a series of desserts and artistic showpieces within a grueling nine-hour timeframe, showcasing their expertise in chocolate, sugar, and ice sculpting.
Team Philippines showcased Pinoy Pride on the global stage with their meticulously crafted desserts featuring some of the country’s iconic heritage, including a farmer and a carabao.
Their frozen dessert highlighted pink guava, a fruit beloved in Filipino households, paired with coconut, calamansi, malunggay, and basil to create a tropical yet sophisticated flavor profile. Meanwhile, their restaurant dessert, named “Golden Harvest,” celebrated Philippine produce, incorporating Formosa pineapples and native rice grains transformed into mousse, pudding, nougatine, and foam.
The showstopper was their chocolate masterpiece, a bold reimagination of balut, an iconic Filipino delicacy. Encased in a sugar egg shell, the dessert combined Dulcey Namelaka, banana confit, smoked Caraibe chocolate mousse, and the rare Asin Tibuok salt, delivering a balance of sweet, savory, and smoky notes.
Japan emerged as the champion, followed by France, but for the Philippines, the real victory was the chance to stand among the world’s best, setting a new standard for the country’s presence in global pastry competitions.
The Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie (World Pastry Cup) is a prestigious international pastry competition held every two years, showcasing the world’s best pastry chefs. The 2025 Grand Finale took place on January 24-25, at Sirha Lyon in Lyon, France, with teams competing under the theme of national heritage.