Running the Escola de Confeitaria Diego Lozano in São Paulo, Brazil, chef Diego Lozano is out to pass on his extensive knowledge on all things confectionery to the rest of the world. After graduating Senai in São Paulo, his eagerness to learn brought him to Belgium, where he first plunged into the adventure of being pastry chef/chocolatier for Chocolate World before perfecting his pastry skills at Marc Ducobu Pâtisserie. After returning to Brazil, Diego was invited to lead the pastry department at Alex Atala’s award-winning D.O.M. restaurant and already ventured an attempt for the title of World Chocolate Master in 2007.

Although he is an outspoken fan of classic European confectionery, Diego Lozano has a predilection for Brazilian ingredients. That's why his trademark is to combine the two to form his own signature style of confectionery.

Read the report on the Brazilian qualifying round.

Michaël Cotard, happy father of four and chef-owner of Cotard Chocolatier, has participated in several competitions since the beginning of his career, including the national qualifiers for the 2013 World Chocolate Masters, at which he received the award for Best Dessert and the media award for Best Candy Chocolate. He also participated in the national qualifiers in Toronto for the 2011 World Chocolate Masters, at which he gained second place.

For a more creative chocolate outlet, Michaël also ventured into the world of fashion, teaming up with fashion designers to create chocolate haute couture for several fashion shows. Apart from Cotard Chocolatier, he is also the owner of a pastry shop on the island of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, situated in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean near Canada.

Read the report on the Canadian qualifying round.

Slawomir Korczak discovered his passion for pastry at a young age while working at a small family-run catering business. His hunger for knowledge and travelling lead him to explore London where he took up the position of pastry chef at the Balans restaurant, only to return to Poland and become a graduate of Kurt Scheller’s Culinary Academy. He subsequently worked as a pastry chef as a member of the team responsible for the launch of Hotel Rialto: the first luxury boutique hotel in Warsaw (Poland).

Marrying a Mexican woman encouraged Slawomir to learn about the country and culture of his wife, and lead him to found a catering and consulting business in Mexico. He even provided catering services for the actors and production team of the Zorro movie that was being shot at San Luis Potosí at the time.

After dedicating a few years of his professional career to sharing his knowledge with students at several Mexican universities, Slawomir travelled the world with a clear mission to hone his chocolate and pastry techniques to perfection, learning the tricks of the trade from renowned chefs like, among many others, Stephane Leroux, Christophe Morel, Luis Robledo, Jean-Marie Auboine and Jérôme Langillier.

He then returned to San Luis Potosí to co-found the culinary university Instituto Culinario Danieli and designed a unique programme with international internships for the students.

Today, Slawomir is the chef-owner of ‘Polska Panadería y Chocolate’, a culinary boutique where people from all over Mexico come to enjoy artisan European bread, chocolate delicacies and pastries.

Read the report on the South American qualifying round.