Chef Tonatiuh Cortés of Mexico is Officially the Best Panettone Baker in the World
Mexican chef Tonatiuh Cortés won the Best Traditional Panettone at a competition hosted in Milan, Italy, from November 8 to 10. This was the fourth iteration of the Coppa del Mondo del Panettone. The event brought chefs from around the world to compete in making the best Panettone.
There were winners in other categories, including Chocolate and non-European Best Traditional Panettone. If you love sweet bread and Mexican excellence, this news will brighten your day. In fact, it will get you excited for the holiday tradition of sharing Panettone with your loved ones.
Chef Cortés blew the competition away
Chef Cortés is the owner of Suca’l, a bakery in Barcelona. The chef, along with others around the world, spent the last two years working to qualify for various competitions. The goal? To enter the global competition held earlier this month. Their hard work culminated in an incredible display of baking one of Europe’s most iconic baked goods.
Chef Cortés was one of 24 bakers who descended onto Milan to make Panettone and prove they were the best in the world. Traditional Panettone has become a staple in holiday celebrations across Italy and has gained worldwide admiration and fame.
Some other winners include Japanese chef Yasuda Tazumi for the best non-European Traditional Panettone and Peruvian chef Carlo Strobbe for Best Chocolate Panettone. Tbh, it is amazing to see so many non-Italian chefs who can recreate something so iconic in the country that has people falling in love.
There were specific ingredients that the chefs had to use
Traditional Panettone uses just a handful of ingredients to achieve its characteristic structure and flavor. According to the competition rules, the chefs were required to use fresh eggs, fresh butter, flour from Italian mills, Italian candied fruit, sugar, Italian honey, and quality nuts. These seven ingredients are the most important in bringing the traditional Panettone to life.
The dessert started in 1495 as an attempt to correct a mistake. According to legend, a baker burned a Christmas Eve dessert for the Duke of Milan. To make it up to them, the baker created a dessert using leftover sourdough starter and dried fruit. The Duke was so pleased that he named it Pane di Toni, after the baker.
Congratulations to Chef Cortés and his award-winning Panettone
“Winning in Milan, the world capital of panettone is an incredible and very strange feeling,” Cortés told the EFE news agency. He added that it is “a recognition of the effort being made in Spain.”
It is so exciting to see our people going out into the world, making a difference through food, and embracing other cultures. Latine people are some of the world’s most resilient and talented people.
So, like, how would someone get a special Panettone from Chef Cortés? Is there a special way to order and get them delivered in time for Christmas? We are just asking for ourselves and the need to feed our big Latine families over the holidays.
