Weave Cacao has launched a nationwide competition to discover New Zealand’s Best Chocolate Mousse, Mousse Masters.
Mousse Masters is a one-of-a-kind competition designed to captivate the food service industry, showcase the magic of Weave Cacao’s couverture chocolate drops, and celebrate the artistry of New Zealand's chefs and bakers.
Legendary chef Peter Gordon is on board as the competition’s ambassador and Head Judge. Also on the judging panel are food writer and cookbook author Amber Rose and Weave Cacao co-founder Oonagh Browne, with two more judges to be confirmed.
There are two categories in the competition, Pro Chef and Promising Young Chef, and some exciting prizes are up for grabs. Pro Chefs can win a life-changing trip to Papua New Guinea with Peter Gordon and Oonagh Browne, where they will meet and greet with cacao growing communities in PNG, and learn the process, from tree to bean to couverture chocolate.
The Most Promising Young Chef will win a year’s supply of Weave Cacao couverture (40kg) and a two-day Cacao Intensive Training Course with Oonagh Browne in Christchurch.
“I’m thrilled to be Head Judge for this competition, seeing as I could eat chocolate mousse for three meals a day! I’ve been following the Weave Cacao story for a while now and they’re doing amazing work. It’s great Pacific chocolate with real purpose,” said Peter Gordon.
Pro chefs can learn more about the entry process and submit their recipes here. Submissions are accepted from now until 30 September.
The Promising Young Chef competition will be judged internally at NZ’s top culinary schools.
The finalists from both competitions will create and present their recipes at the grand final event at Elemental Cooking School in Auckland on the 21st of October, 2025.
“We’re so excited to see what New Zealand’s talented chefs come up with! Weave couverture chocolate is of world-class calibre, and this is such a fun way to see it elevated in the most simple yet complex of desserts, the chocolate mousse,” said Weave Cacao Co-founder Oonagh Browne.
“It will be an honour to host Peter and the winner in PNG and introduce them to our cacao farming family and what it takes to produce cacao on the ground in the tropics for our couverture chocolate.”
Mousse Masters is presented in proud partnership with Bidfood, Pacific Trade Invest, Food Writers New Zealand, and Elemental Cooking School.
More news here.
