Global pastry champions unite at the LA LISTE Pastry Special Awards 2026

Paris welcomed the world's leading pastry chefs, artisan bakers, hoteliers, and culinary professionals for another successful edition of the LA LISTE Garden Party, celebrating the people, ideas, and trends shaping the future of pastry and bakery across the globe.

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Highlights of the 2026 edition

• From K-Pop to K-Pastry: For the first time, the World's Most Creative Pastry Chef Award is presented to an Asian woman. South Korean pastry chef Eunyoung Yun follows in the footsteps of Amaury Guichon, Bastien Blanc-Tailleur and Maxime Frédéric, illustrating Asia's remarkable evolution from a center of technical excellence to one of the world's leading engines of pastry innovation. Women represent nearly one-third of this year's laureates, with eleven female chefs recognized.
• The Rise of Bread Culture: The 2026 edition marks an important milestone for LA LISTE with the official integration of artisan bakeries into its international pastry selection. Now presented under the banner "The World's Best Pastry & Bakery Shops," the guide reflects a profound transformation already visible across the world, where the traditional boundaries between bakeries, pâtisseries, specialty coffee houses and tea rooms continue to disappear. This evolution is reflected in the awards themselves, with 12 of the 36 laureates recognized primarily for their contribution to artisan breadmaking. From Richard Hart, the "sourdough whisperer," to Thomas Teffri-Chambelland, a pioneer of gluten-free bread in France, as well as Mamiche in Paris, Joseph Brot in Vienna, and O'Mills Bakery in Shanghai, bread has firmly reclaimed its place at the heart of contemporary gastronomy.
• Game Changer Award: American pastry chef Will Goldfarb, based in Ubud, Bali, receives the Game Changer Award for redefining contemporary dessert through Indonesian ingredients, regenerative thinking, education, and a singular vision that has inspired a new generation of pastry chefs around the world.
• French pastry’s enduring global influence: Several French laureates embody the creativity, craftsmanship, and international influence of French pastry. Frédéric Bau receives the Pastry Impact Award for a career that has profoundly shaped contemporary pastry through innovation, education, and transmission. Michael Bartocetti and Marius Dufay are jointly recognized with the World's Best Afternoon Tea Award, while Maison Pierre Hermé Paris receives the World's Best Pastry Shop Award, confirming the continuing global influence of one of France's most iconic pastry houses.
• A truly global selection: The 2026 Pastry Special Awards feature twelve award categories—from Talent of the Year and Best Opening to Innovation, Sustainability, Community Spirit, and Discovery Gem—recognizing 36 laureates from 18 countries across Europe, Asia, North America, the Middle East, and Oceania.

LA LISTE: a global perspective on culinary excellence

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Founded in 2015, LA LISTE has become one of the world's most international gastronomic references, featuring more than 35,000 restaurants, 7,000 hotels, and 3,000 pastry and bakery shops across more than 200 countries. Rather than relying on the opinion of a single guide or critic, LA LISTE aggregates and weights the judgments of more than 1,000 trusted international sources—including guidebooks, journalists, specialists, rankings, and verified customer reviews—to provide a uniquely global perspective on culinary excellence.

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Its restaurant and hotel rankings are generated through this algorithmic methodology, while its Special Awards reflect an independent editorial vision highlighting creativity, craftsmanship, innovation, and emerging talent.

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A new chapter for pastry and bakery

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The 2026 edition marks a significant evolution for LA LISTE with the official integration of artisan bakeries into its international pastry selection. Presented under the new signature "The World's Best Pastry & Bakery Shops," the guide acknowledges one of the most important transformations in contemporary gastronomy.

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Across the world, a new generation of establishments is dissolving the traditional boundaries between pâtisserie, boulangerie, specialty coffee, dessert restaurants, and tea rooms. LA LISTE's international selection now includes more than 3,000 establishments, reflecting this rapidly evolving landscape.

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To accompany the awards, LA LISTE also publishes its annual Global Pastry & Bakery Trends Report, exploring the cultural, economic, and creative forces reshaping pastry and artisan baking worldwide. Presented during the International Pastry Forum, the report examines topics ranging from the globalization of pastry and the revival of naturally fermented bread to the influence of algorithms, social media, and changing consumer expectations on contemporary creativity.

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Philippe Faure, Founder and President of LA LISTE, said: "Since its creation, LA LISTE has pursued a simple ambition: to offer a global, balanced, and open perspective on excellence. At a time when opinions are increasingly fragmented, we continue to believe in the value of informed consensus. By bringing together the judgments of guidebooks, critics, experts, and diners from around the world, LA LISTE provides a unique international reference while respecting the richness and diversity of culinary cultures."