Over the weekend of 14 October, the Belgian top chocolatier David Maenhout won two gold medals at the World Finals of the International Chocolate Awards in London. This means he is considered the winner of this official world championship, which is held every year.
The chocolatier made four submissions, each of them pralines in this case. Two of these pralines won gold: 'Gin & Tonic' was considered the best in the category ‘Best dark flavoured chocolate in the world’, and the taste speaks for itself. ‘Orient’ came first in the category ‘Best milk chocolate in the world (nut-based)’ and is flavoured with creamy caramel, fleur de sel and roasted sesame seeds. The two silver medals went to ‘Peanuts & Co’, a praline with hints of peanut and caramel and ‘Tokyo Dreams’, a chocolate creation with yuzu and soya.
Maenhout runs his own business, Chocolatier M, in Knokke-Heist. He won the Belgian qualifier earlier in the year, allowing him to represent the nation in London. The fact that all four submissions won a prize of some sort is unique, especially considering the very stiff competition in the final, with no less than 800 pralines appearing in a range of categories from all corners of the globe. Moreover, it has been six years since a Belgian last won gold during the world finals.
