A perfect preparation, excellent chocolate skills, an imperturbably focused eye and a wild imagination: Danish chef Tor Stubbe proved that’s the recipe for an astounding performance in the Scandinavian World Chocolate Masters qualifying round. Tor made an unforgettable passage and demonstrated his natural talent for storytelling by making his creations recount the course of life of the apple, from delicate seedling to mighty apple tree. It earned him no less than three of the four individual competition awards and he did it all without ever losing his stoic composure. How do you like them apples?

Tor Stubbe is no neophyte to the delicious world of chocolate. The 32-year-old pastry chef and chocolatier at Bojesen and Oialla has plenty of experience under his belt. And he made that very clear during the Scandinavian World Chocolate Masters qualifying round at the Hotel & Restaurant skolen in Valby, Denmark. Winning the awards for best Cake of the Day, best moulded praline and best Chocolate to Go concept, Tor only left his competitor Eero Paulamäki the prize for best chocolate showpiece. The latter didn’t leave the jury unimpressed either and earned himself second place. Third place went to Gabriel Ahlgreen.

What the jury liked a lot about Tor’s creations was the red thread throughout his competition assignments: Tor focussed on the course of life of an apple to translate the ‘Inspiration from Nature’ theme into his creations. What’s more is that his play with colours not only made his work a real treat to the eye, but it also created coherence in the whole of his chocolate designs. The jury found Tor’s Chocolate to Go concept his most calculated achievement. It even took the environmental factor of a contemporary quick chocolate snack into account.

Using the Alunga, Ocoa, Venezuela, Blanc Satin and Madirofolo chocolate from the Cacao Barry range to crystallise his creative ideas into chocolate, Tor didn’t shy away from dishing up some special favour combinations for the jury members. But staying true to his self-imposed red thread, the taste of all Tor’s creations beautifully reflected what they represented visually. When it was time to announce the new Scandinavian Chocolate Master to the world, there was not a trace of doubt found in the final jury report: Tor Stubbe is ready for the world final at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris.