Weave Cacao’s quest for New Zealand’s Mousse Masters is coming to a delicious close this month, with the Grand Final set to take place on 21 October at Elemental Cooking School in Auckland.
The unique competition was created to inspire creativity in the food industry while showcasing the versatility of Weave Cacao’s couverture chocolate… the world’s first Pacific couverture, made in Papua New Guinea.
Nine professional chefs and three promising young chefs have made it to the final stage, where they’ll present their mousse-based creations to a judging panel led by celebrated chef Peter Gordon, who is also serving as the event’s ambassador.
Joining him on the panel are cookbook author Amber Rose, chocolate expert Luke Owen Smith, Weave Cacao co-founder Oonagh Browne and Sperian Kapaia, who leads the Mupa community in East Sepik, Papua New Guinea, where half of Weave Cacao’s beans are grown. Their inclusion highlights the brand’s commitment to connecting cacao-growing communities with the chefs who transform their beans into works of art.
Finalists are travelling from across the country, with names like Ben Chapman (Embra), Robert Cullen (NZICC), Maxine Scheckter (Sugar Flour) and Cocoa Wild’s Shalvi Mohindra among those competing for the top title.
Peter Gordon says, “I’m very excited to try all of these amazing mousses. It’s an incredible line-up for the final, and I’m sure it’s going to be very hard to pick a winner. The key may lie in how well the recipes represent Pasifika culture, that’s the part I’m really looking forward to.”
The overall winner will be rewarded with an immersive trip to Papua New Guinea alongside Gordon and Browne, where they’ll meet local farming communities, learn about the challenges of cacao production and experience the full journey from tree to bean to chocolate.
The Most Promising Young Chef will receive a year’s supply of Weave Cacao couverture and a hands-on cacao training course with Oonagh Browne in Christchurch, a prize designed to nurture the next generation of chocolatiers and pastry artists in Aotearoa.
See more online at Weave Cacao.