A French chef, Vincent Vallee, has become the first French world champion of chocolate, taking the prize in Paris Friday after a three-day final at the Salon du Chocolat trade fair.
Second place went to Japan’s Hisashi Onobayashi, and Marijn Coertjens of Belgium placed third. The competition has taken place annually since 2005; this year the trial drew 20 chefs from all over.
Vallee, who is 27, won with “Inspired by Nature” theme that included a chocolate sculpture of a cat-headed woman and a birdcage decorated with chocolate insects, lilies and a frog (seen above).
