Innovation is the lifeblood of the fine pastry business and Antonio Bachour brings his zeal for exploration and experimentation to everything he does, from his four restaurants in Miami and Merida, Mexico, to his eight successful cookbooks. Born and raised by Lebanese parents in Puerto Rico, Bachour loved spending time in his parents’ bakery, where he went to watch the pastry chef every day from the age of 10; by 13 he was making bread and croissants. He left for culinary school in New York at 17 before working in hotels across Florida and spending a season with Philippe Givre at L’École Valhrona. The skills he learnt there have been effortlessly translated across his region of the Americas. His trademark viennoiseries include flavored and coloured designs, from the Hazelnut Pain aux Raisins to Strawberry Mascarpone Croissant and Camembert Cheesecake. His cakes often resemble still life, from citrus and stone fruit to flowers, and he is inspired as much by visiting an art gallery as by spending time in his own kitchen. His latest creation? A whimsical coffee cup-shaped cake filled with chocolate brownie, coffee marquis, coffee crémeux and coffee chocolate mousse.

Singaporean Chef Janice Wong is known for pushing the limits of creativity past the typical boundaries presented by chocolate and pastry to create unique and immersive experiences that span concept stores and art exhibitions. Her 2am:dessertbar first opened in 2007 and she has three retail stores in Singapore. She has worked with Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz in the US, master Spanish chocolatier Oriol Balaguer, and France’s esteemed Pierre Hermé. Her reputation for testing the possibilities of confectionery - from laksa leaf and lemongrass to chicken jerky and praline - has led to international collaborations and openings, most recently a new 2am:dessertbar in the W Hotel in Sydney, where guests can enjoy Wong signatures Cacao Forest, made with chocolate mousse, passionfruit chocolate, and mango, lime and lychee consommé; and Cassis Plum, a cassis bombe with elderflower yoghurt foam and choya granita with yuzu pearls. In Japan, the gallery Huis Ten Bosch Nagasaki showed her signature edible art works, while the Art Gallery of Western Australia displayed her largest ever edible art installation. As well as winning numerous prestigious awards, Wong is one of the six ‘culinary mavericks’ featured in 2024 show ‘Chefs Uncut’ on Netflix.