The judges felt that Ed’s reinvention of the humble chocolate ice cream sandwich demonstrated innovative techniques, using chocolate in multiple ways to produce harmonious and perfectly balanced flavours.
Talking about his winning entry, Ed says: “I love nostalgic desserts that remind us of growing up and reinventing these childhood favourites is a big passion of mine. The ice cream sandwich is perfect for this and, best of all, is completely accessible to everyone. There are so many different ways to use chocolate so it’s great to see Callebaut inspiring chefs to think differently. I’m chuffed to have won – I’ve never been to a cocoa plantation before and I’m sure it will be an amazing experience!”
Taking the top prize in the under 22 year olds category, Thomas incorporated Callebaut Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa) and Callebaut White Chocolate (28% cocoa) with smoked sea salt and whole pistachios for his innovative twist on a chocolate brownie, before serving it with vanilla cream and candied kumquats.
The judges were particularly impressed by the combination of flavours in this dessert and the attention to detail in the recipe to give a crisp top and bottom to the brownie, with a beautifully rich and chewy centre.
Speaking of his win, Thomas says: “Winning Callebaut’s For The Love Of Chocolate Challenge is a huge honour for me and the trip will be an amazing experience. I have used Callebaut’s range of chocolate for a few years now to create many different dishes – entering this challenge has given me the opportunity to showcase my style and passion for creating desserts!”
The Challenge forms part of Callebaut’s “For The Love Of Chocolate” campaign which has been developed to guide caterers through their chocolate choices and ensure dessert menus remain profitable by giving customers exactly what they want. 
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