Chef Arisara “Paper” Chongphanitkul is to become the first Thai woman to compete in an international competition with her participation in the Ladies World Pastry Championship in Rimini, Italy this Jan 20-24.

Chef Paper honed her skills with experience in the world-famous pastry kitchens of Laurent Gerbaud of Brussels, and Sadaharu Aoki and Hugues Pouget, both of Paris. Since 2011, she has worked alongside chef Ian Kittichai as the executive chef of Issaya La Patisserie and Issaya Siamese Club.

The Ladies World Pastry Championship, in association with SIGEP, is a platform showcasing the talents of women pastry chefs from around the world. The winner will be hailed the 2018 Pastry Queen.

This year the competition has the theme “Astrology,” with participants expected to to combine sugar and pastillage into four creations: a tart, a coffee ice-cream dessert, a chocolate dessert, and a pastry finger ring.