Chinese pastry chef becomes 2023 FIPGC Tiramisu World Champion

The World Trophy of Pastry, Ice Cream, and Chocolate 2023, organized by the International Federation of Pastry, Ice Cream and Chocolate (FIPGC), was recently held in Milan, Italy. The event takes place every two years.

Lyu Haoran, a pastry chef from east China's Jiangsu Province, clinched the top spot of the FIPGC Tiramisu World Championship - "The World Trophy of Professional Tiramisu” on Oct. 13. It marked the first time that a Chinese won the award.

Lyu Haoran (center), a pastry chef from east China's Jiangsu Province, wins the FIPGC Tiramisu World Championship 2023. (yangtse.com/courtesy of interviewee)

The FIPGC Tiramisu World Championship has two categories: Classic Tiramisu and Innovative Tiramisu. Lyu's tiramisu works, including a classic and an innovative one for the competition, are not only refreshingly tasty and exquisitely made, but also creative and culturally meaningful. The innovative one incorporates Chinese cultural elements like clouds to showcase the charm and mystery of oriental mythology.

According to the competition’s evaluation criteria, taste accounts for 70 percent of the total score. European and American competitors have dominated Western-style pastry competitions. Therefore, Lyu's triumph demonstrates the progress of China's pastry industry.

"My tiramisu works gained recognition at the FIPGC Tiramisu World Championship mainly because of their taste. In general, competitors from European countries, especially Italy, where tiramisu was invented, and France, become tiramisu world champions," Lyu said.

"My title in Italy is akin to a foreigner's first prize at a dumpling-making competition in China. So I feel very honored," he added.

A Chinese team consisting of Liu Fuhuan, Liu Zhaokai, and Liang Ling, Lyu's students, won second place at the FIPGC Cake Designers World Championship on Oct. 15. The special prize of Best Modern Cake was awarded to the team.

Photo shows Lyu Haoran's classic tiramisu for the FIPGC Tiramisu World Championship 2023. (yangtse.com/courtesy of interviewee)

Born in 1996 in Jurong city of Jiangsu, Lyu decided to learn Western-style pastry at 15. With support from his parents, he attended the Suzhou Wangsen Coffee and Western Food Technical School in Suzhou city, Jiangsu, and learned from Wang Sen, a pastry master and the founder of the school.

After three years of learning in Suzhou, Lyu furthered his studies at Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai, a culinary arts school.

In 2017, Lyu won the Medallion for Excellence for patisserie and confectionery making at the 44th WorldSkills Competition, and topped the UIBC Junior World Championship of Confectioners 2018.

In recent years, Lyu has served as a teacher at a Suzhou-based technician college, which is a national training base for the WorldSkills Competition, and was a judge and a coach of the Chinese team for patisserie and confectionery making at the 45th, 46th and 47th WorldSkills Competitions. He was awarded several national honorary titles.