Pastry Connection. Welcome to a New Era.

There’s a very long road traveled since the creation of the Pastry Movement in Chile, on 2017. A different time. Although what we are living right now it’s hard, “a different time” doesn’t necessarily have to mean better or worse. We simply have to be conscious that we have entered a new era.

And it was precisely through Pastry Connection that we have shown the international fraternity that exists between pastry chefs, and how developed it is that it takes responsibilities and raises consciousness.  On just a few days the group Valrhona, República del Cacao and Sosa, organized the necessary resources for making these two lockdown months productive.  

For 3 weeks we participated together on an amazing experience that reflected the best of our community, on its most wide version: pastry chefs, men, women, of every age and origin, but also brands, providers and journalists. Everybody analyzing the context with passion and humbleness.

- Passion. On very difficult times like our community have never seen before on a global scale, we accept the dare. Because this job is a vocation for us, and we will never abandon it. And we know this will developed in more quality on all the levels.

- Humbleness. All the 40 participants from these 20 conferences were incredibly talented and were still impressed by the disposition of each one of them for exchanging ideas about their daily responsibilities, that at the end of the day are similar to the ones of all of us.

- Union. Each one has their own image, backgrounds and opinions. However, instead of starting any type of discussion, we decided to get together and fight this situation, reflect about the problems, give each other advice. “Sharing is living”, this has always been the common thread in Pastry. This is what all is about.

- Vanguard.  Digital technology, traceability, ingredients, materials, trends, realities in Europe, Latin America and the United States, specialties, business models, authenticity, education, contests, etc. During these conferences that internationality of our problems was discussed. On the basis that the past left us, we will build up a future, that like it or not, will be different.    

Moreover, Pastry Connection had the participation of spectators from all over the world: Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chipre, Dominican Republic, Spain, United States, Costa Rica and Venezuela. Also, there was a variety of nationalities present in the chefs that gave the conferences: Spain, France, Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile and Mexico.

Pastry Connection crossed borders in a wonderful way, with a total of 46000 visualizations between all the conferences and more the 9000 followers on our social media during the 3 weeks that the event lasted.

All this content leaves us certain about something: better times will come. We still have many things to developed, so there is no doubt that consumers will continue their evolution towards a more qualitative, healthy and authentic pastry. Even more after this identity crisis that our societies are living right now.

The new generation of consumers wants access to culture, sustainability, it wants to be more creative, to know what it is eating. In order to deliver these experiences, our profession has a lot of tricks under its sleeve. The new era seems designed for our fine pastry art.

With the certainty that we will accomplish this, we stay with the following thought of Paco Torreblanca: “We must keep our feet on the earth, and our heads on the stars.”   

  Julien Berthelot, Gourmet Select Team