Iginio Massari

Under his guidance, the Italian team won the World Pastry Cup in Lyon in 1997 as well as the European Cup in Rome in 2002. A member since 1985 and Member of the Board since 2008 of Relais Dessert, the prestigious international association, he was elected Pastry Chef of the Year in 2000 and led the Italians in 2004 to win the World Team Championship in Rimini.

In 1993 he founded the Academy of Italian Master Pastry Chefs with the aim of promoting quality.

A splendid chef (who also owns the Pasticceria Veneto in Brescia), he is co-owner of the Carlo Magno restaurant in Collebeato (BS), which the Espresso Guide voted Best Italian Restaurant for Desserts in 2001, following the victory achieved in 1998 as the Best Italian Restaurant for Risottos.

He is the author of splendid publications such as "Armonie", published in 1996 -also available in French- and presented to the French Senate in 1997 on occasion of the French Taste Festival; "Oro Colato: Tutto sul Cioccolato" and the cake book "Monumenta" (Monumental Desserts) - available in English, French and Spanish; "Programma" and "Cresci" (Cresci: The Art of Leavened Dough) - available in Spanish and English. The latter achieved two nominations in France and Austria as the best book in the world in the field of leavened dough technology. He holds a Doctorate Honoris Causa in Culinary Sciences at the St. George University of Brussels.