Shania Makes National Dessert Making Grand Final

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Certificate in Baking (Level 4) ākonga, Shania Nickel, has made the grand final of a prestigious national dessert-making competition.

Weave Cacao’s Mousse Masters Grand Final is taking place on Tuesday, 21 October at Elemental Cooking School in Parnell, Auckland. Shania is one of just three competition entrants to make the grand finale. She will compete against two other students from top New Zealand culinary schools for the title of Weave Cacao’s Most Promising Young Chef for 2025.

Finalists will have four hours to prepare their dessert dishes before guests, media, and competition judges - including renowned chef Peter Gordon, food writer Amber Rose and cacao expert Oonagh Browne – arrive at the event.

Each finalist must present the same dish they entered in the preliminary round of the contest and explain the inspiration behind it.

Shania’s dessert, called Bean of the Pacific, uses chocolate mousse as the hero ingredient. A joconde sponge, topped with passionfruit crème and a rich chocolate mousse, is layered over a bed of chocolate crisp, then brushed with a chocolate glaze. The dessert’s decorative flower and leaves are also made of chocolate, meticulously handcrafted.

“There’s nothing more chocolate than the bean itself, that was the inspiration behind my dessert,” says Shania. “Its design also reflects the Weave Cacao logo and matches the Pacific theme by celebrating where the cacao bean comes from.”

“I’m really looking forward to competing at the grand final, making my dessert for the judges and meeting other competitors. It will be an awesome opportunity to share ideas,” Shania says.

The winner of the Weave Cacao Most Promising Young Chef title will receive a year’s supply of couverture chocolate and a two-day intensive cacao training course.

Toi Ohomai Principal Academic Staff Member – Baking and Patisserie, Noel Remacle, says two Toi Ohomai ākonga were selected to enter the preliminary round of the national competition.

“Competitions like this are a fantastic learning and development opportunity. They allow students to showcase their talents, step outside their comfort zones and grow in confidence. It might sound cliché, but that’s where the real learning happens.”

“We’re incredibly proud to have Shania representing Toi Ohomai in the grand final. She’s crafted an exceptional dessert, with a mousse recipe she developed from techniques learned during her training here,” Noel says.

Alongside the student competition, nine professional chefs will compete in the Mousse Masters Pro Chef Grand Final for the title of Pro Chef 2025. Both competitions are run in partnership with Bidfood, Pacific Trade Invest, Food Writers New Zealand, and Elemental Cooking School.

Weave Cacao Mousse Masters competition judge and celebrated fusion chef, Peter Gordon, says it’s an incredible line-up for the final.

“I’m sure it’s going to be very hard to pick a winner. The key may lie in how well the recipes represent Pasifika culture. That’s the part I’m really looking forward to.”