Imitation of nature All art is an imitation of nature: this was the only theme for the eleven teams. Four works needed to be prepared in only ten hours, along with ten restaurant desserts, four gelato entremets, an artistic sugar sculpture and a chocolate one (both of which could not exceed 165 centimetres in height). The base of the chocolate sculpture needed to be carved from a block of dark chocolate, a trial which replaced the ice sculpture one. The chocolate dessert à partager (or dessert to be shared) juxtaposed with the entremets dessert, that is the layered chocolate cake. The dessert à partager differed from the entremets in that it was a dessert to be shared; once it was portioned and plated, it needed to have the elegance of a single-portion dessert, and the cut needed to be clean without any visible stratification. The Italian team perfectly interpreted the theme. “The art of nature” was the leitmotif which focused on bees, honey, pollination and ants. “Royal flower” was the name of the chocolate dessert with bee designs on the petals; “Bee flower” was the name of the gelato cake that was topped with a bee; for the restaurant dessert, a bee buzzed around the hive recreated with wafer. In this edition, it was imperative to create all products during the competition, whereas in the past it was possible to bring already-prepared elements such as sponge cake or other items. Innovative desserts Research and development are the goal of this type of competition, and innovation is particularly rewarded. For example, the Italian gelato cake contained a meringue in the shape of a 3D doughnut; when cut, a circle of meringue was obtained, adding crunchiness to every bite. To create this, the pastry chefs studied alu19
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