Only a few days left until the Italian national qualifying rounds for the 2015 World Chocolate Masters kick off. Massimo Carnio of pastry shop Villa Cedri in Valdobbiadene already proved his chocolate mastery during the regional selections in Milan by winning the awards for best chocolate showpiece and best moulded praline. But the Italian chef isn’t resting on his laurels. We caught up with Massimo during his preparations for the national qualifying rounds in Rimini and did a little interview with him.

WCM Communications Team: What do your training days typically look like?

Massimo: “I train daily, and arrange every training day in line with the competition programme. One day I focus on the construction of the chocolate showpiece, the other I train for the 5-hour competition day. It certainly is a lot of work to prepare for the various competition elements.”

WCM Communications Team: What are your expectations for the Italian World Chocolate Masters final?

Massimo: “I expect to win the championship of course. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I believe I’m going to rank highly. After putting in so much work and effort, I’m hoping to bring home the best result. I simply can’t afford to make mistakes and a good performance during the race will play a decisive role. I also expect it to be a great and positive experience, regardless of the outcome.”

WCM Communications Team: Is there a chocolate that represents you most?

Massimo: “Cacao Barry’s origin chocolate Venezuela 72% is my favourite. It’s taste, name and cocoa percentage reflect me most: it’s acid, but not too much. The terroir where it is cultivated is of excellent quality. It has the perfect cocoa percentage for a dark chocolate. And last but not least: 72 is my year of birth.”

WCM Communications Team: Thank you for taking out some time for us during this hectic period, Massimo. Good luck in Rimini!

Massimo: “Thank you!”