Association of Pastry Chefs joins Craft Guild of Chefs

The Association of Pastry Chefs has become a division of the Craft Guild of Chefs.

The Association of Pastry Chefs was founded by Alan Whatley in 1993 as a dedicated forum for pastry chefs. Over the past 30 years, it has introduced and run a series of pastry events, including its annual awards and the Dessert of the Year pastry competition, which is held at HRC International Salon Culinaire.

Under the stewardship of the Craft Guild of Chefs, the association will receive further industry support while retaining its name and identity.

A sub-committee and chairman for the division is set to be announced at a later date.

Whatley said: "I fully support the Craft Guild of Chefs and I believe the coming together of the two organisations is very positive. Celebrating its 30th anniversary last year, the Association of Pastry Chefs will benefit greatly from the Craft Guild of Chefs' well-established management structure, which will in turn futureproof the Association of Pastry Chefs for the next 30 years and beyond."

Andrew Green, chief executive of the Craft Guild of Chefs, added: "We are delighted to bring these two great chef organisations together, and warmly welcome the Association of Pastry Chefs and its membership into the Craft Guild of Chefs. We have many pastry chef members ourselves, who will no doubt greatly benefit from this alliance and our new combined strength. We call for all pastry chefs to join the Association of Pastry Chefs division as we look forward to raising its profile back to the forefront."

The Association of Pastry Chefs and the Craft Guild of Chefs will work together on the Graduate Awards, National Chef of the Year, Young National Chef of the Year and the HRC International Salon Culinaire.

The Craft Guild of Chefs was established in 1885 as the Cookery and Food Association. It has since grown into the leading chefs' association in the UK, with members based across the globe.