For the first time, the prestigious award goes to an Italian. Malizia, who is from Rome and has already won numerous international awards, was named by Sucre d’Or as the “Best Sugar Artist in the World”, where he will remain champion for 10 years.
Davide Malizia is the “Meilleur Tireur de Sucre Artistique du Monde”, or rather, the “Best Sugar Artist in the World”. Presented with the award in Rome, at a major event at Palazzo Naiadi, on Sunday 6th September, the pastry master from Rome was the first Italian to win the prestigious title, following two editions brought home by illustrious French pastry masters Gabriel Paillasson and Stephane Klein.
Indeed, it is an international recognition that is awarded to those who have left their mark in terms of style, aesthetics, technique and innovation while working artistically with sugar over the last 10 years. The organisation to assign the award is Déco Relief, a long-standing French company specialising in professional materials and ingredients for Haute Pâtisserie.
“Receiving this award is a huge satisfaction,” commented Davide Malizia. “I consider this prize legendary, also taking into account the incredibly high standards of my predecessors, Gabriel Paillasson and Stephane Klein. I never thought I could actually win it, so it was a big surprise and a double honour. It is an important step in my career, which rewards everything I’ve done in sugar art up until now in the best possible way.”
There was no lack of emotion: “I’ve been working with this material, which is so transient but so magical, for 20 years,” added Davide Malizia. “My parents passed away together many years ago. I come from a family of potters, more specifically, ceramic sculptors. They left me a gift that I’ve been able to hone over time: the art of manipulating material, which I’ve applied to sugar. That’s because I have dedicated my career to pastry. In my opinion, sugar art is the highest form of expression for a pastry chef. When I started, I was one of just a few. So many people told me, ‘You can’t make a living from sugar.’ But I always believed in my passion, and today, I am crowning my dream.”
Together with Iginio Massari, Pastry Master Gabriel Paillasson, member of the judging panel and “prophet” of French pastry, announced the winner. The founder and honorary president of the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie said, “I am particularly proud to present this prize, which sees youth combined with talent at the heart of this edition.”
There with him, as the guest of honour, was Pastry Master Iginio Massari, elected the World’s Best Pastry Chef at World Pastry Stars 2019. He commented, “This is such important and valuable recognition, also because of its ‘rarity’. It is awarded every 10 years, which means that, in a century, there will only be 10 sugar artists to hold this title. Davide Malizia is one of those, and for a decade, he will be the reigning champion, bringing the name of Italian pastry to the fore on an international level.”
Alongside Gabriel Paillasson, a panel made up of Frédéric Bonnet, former technical director of the École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie (ENSP) in Yssingeaux, Alain Lambert, founder of Déco Relief, and Pascal Molines, MOF and World Pastry Champion, judged the winner, who was chosen from the very best in the field worldwide.
The panel unanimously voted for Davide Malizia. Alain Lambert confirmed that, “Having followed Master Malizia’s creations for several years, you couldn’t fail to notice his tremendous development and technical ability. His prestigious ‘Aromacademy’, established in Rome in 2015, is proof of his hard work, love for the profession and desire to impart his know-how.”
And that wasn’t all: “Davide Malizia will represent Italian excellence in France alongside the Déco Relief team. To this end, a new range of products resulting from this collaboration will be developed.”
Confartigianato Alimentazione, represented by Augusto Cestra, Regional President of Confartigianato Dolciario Lazio, sponsored the event.
Many representatives of Italian excellence in Haute Pâtisserie attended the award ceremony, such as Gino Fabbri, President of AMPI – Italian Master Confectioners Academy, but also Sal De Riso, Roberto Rinaldini, Santi Palazzolo, Fabrizio Galla, Paolo Sacchetti, Diego Crosara and Stefano Laghi. They all praised the artistic skills of their friend and colleague Davide Malizia. In attendance were not only pastry chefs but also master gelato makers, including 2020 gelato world champions, Italians Ciro Chiummo and Eugenio Morrone (the latter from Rome) with their team manager, Beppo Tonon, and Giancarlo Timballo, President of the Gelato World Cup.