The Anchor Pastry Challenge 2025 Crowns Malaysia’s Promising Pastry Talent

The future looks bright for Malaysia’s pastry talent!
The Anchor Pastry Challenge 2025 whipped up some excitement as Malaysia’s most promising young pastry chefs showcased their creativity, technical flair, and the performance of Anchor’s professional-grade ingredients in live kitchen face-offs.
Organized by Anchor Food Professionals Malaysia & Brunei, the competition featured 10 finalists — five in Bread & Viennoiserie and five in Cake — who were all selected after rigorous assessments at UOW Malaysia Shah Alam. The expert judging panel included Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chef Jean-François Arnaud and Chef Judy Koh, Founder and Principal of Creative Culinaire The School, along with media editors and food reviewers.
The Top 6 winners earned awards, trophies, certificates, and cash prizes:
- Gold: RM2,500 and a solo demo opportunity as the official Anchor ambassador
- Silver: RM1,500
- Bronze: RM1,000
In the Bread & Viennoiserie category, the Gold award went to Ooi Kin Weng from the Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts Malaysia, who considered this a pivotal moment in his career switch from IT.
“Winning this category means a lot to me, especially after making the switch from a career in IT to pastry. It’s still the beginning of my journey, and I’m excited to keep learning and growing. One day, I hope to open my own place.”
In the Cake division, Gold winner Tan Jia Le gave credit to Anchor’s dairy products as a key factor in her success. “Their creamy texture and consistency helped me achieve a smooth finish and clean flavor that truly brought out the best in my cake. As a Gold winner, I hope to inspire the next generation to choose quality ingredients and to never stop learning.”
About the competition, Peter Quah, Food Service Director of Anchor Food Professionals Malaysia, said, “Our aim is to nurture future pastry talents while demonstrating the versatility and reliability of Anchor’s premium dairy products from New Zealand, one of the best places to produce dairy in the world. We’re proud to see such exceptional skill and passion on display.”
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