It’s not easy to bring something new to the city that never sleeps, but Korean-born, French-trained Eunji Lee does this over and over with her elegant and playful creations, from her famed ‘Baby Banana’ (banana sponge, chocolate ganache, coffee ice cream and banana crémeux) to her lifelike ‘Corn’ mousse cake, a product that takes three days to make and confirms Lee as a chef working at the very top of her game. She sells 400 of these a week at her Flatiron boutique, which she opened after training at Ze Kitchen Galerie and Le Meurice, before moving to New York’s modern Korean restaurant Jungsik in 2016. Her blend of French skill, Korean flavors, and twenty-first century whimsy marks Lee out as a pastry chef to watch.

Visionary pastry chef Tejasvi Chandela knew something was missing in her home city of Jaipur in Rajasthan, and her love for baking led her to study at Le Cordon Bleu and open Jaipur’s first pâtisserie, in 2013. Although she is known and loved for her French techniques, it’s her attention to US-inspired comfort foods and feel-good desserts like her Smores chow bun, individual banoffee tarts, and Biscoff chocolate layer cake, that draw crowds to Dzurt. Meanwhile, Chandela is pushing boundaries with Indian heritage flavors in pastry, such as Pink Guava Chilli & Gajak petit gateau, Clementine Ghevar entremet, and Lamington Pistachio Soan Papri.

Thai-born chef-patron Dej Kewkacha opened his first food business at 22 with his brothers, and now operates over 50 F&B outlets including Thailand’s most popular Japanese dessert cafés, Kyo Roll En. But it’s Kewkacha’s passion project, Kyo Bar, that demonstrates his outstanding skill and creativity in the pastry field, marking him out as an exemplary talent, even though he is self-taught. Kyo Bar serves an omakase dessert-only menu of Japanese and Thai ingredients, such as pear and black pepper ‘Ravioli’; ‘Zen Garden’ with sesame, white bean paste, and cheese; and his sweet interpretation of ‘BBQ’.

Chef and entrepreneur Mayada Badr stands out as a culinary visionary. As CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Culinary Arts Commission, she blends innovation with tradition. Trained at Parsons and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Badr’s culinary viewpoint is unique. In Jeddah, her pâtisserie Pink Camel is celebrated for its macarons, contemporary breakfasts, and fusion of global flavors as well as her crêpes and use of za’atar. In 2018, Paris's Potel et Chabot asked her to craft a dessert menu for the Louvre's Al-Ula gala, highlighting Saudi tastes. Badr is also passionate about culinary education and works with the Ministry of Agriculture to promote sustainability and boost local food tourism.

High end and high energy, Ophélie Barès trained in the very best hotel kitchens, but now you can walk into her newly-opened bakery and pâtisserie, Encore, for your daily bread. Known for Qui sera le prochain grand pâtissier, and as a judge on Académie des Gateâux, Barès offers a wide range of breads made with heritage French grains and traditional viennoiserie, but there’s plenty for the sweet-toothed too, from a cheeky chocolate bread and cookies, to her elegant coconut-mango-passion entremet. An outstanding talent in our exciting pastry field.