Founded by Alan Whatley in 1993, the APC set out to create a dedicated forum for pastry chefs. In its 30+ year history, the APC has devised and ran a series of pastry events and competitions including its own annual awards, and the prestigious Dessert of the Year (DOTY) pastry competition, held annually at HRC International Salon Culinaire.
In March 2024 the Craft Guild of Chefs incorporated the Association of Pastry Chefs to form a brand-new division of the Guild. The APC retained its name and identity, and the new Craft Guild of Chefs APC division has its own sub-committee and chairman. The current chairman is Matt Owens, and the Vice Chair is Sarah Hartnett.
Under the stewardship of the Craft Guild of Chefs, the APC will enjoy broader member benefits, and secure culinary advantages from being under the umbrella of the leading chef’s organisation in the UK. If you would like to join contact us.
Meet the board – Association of Pastry Chefs (APC)
Following the incorporation of the APC by the Craft Guild of Chefs earlier in the year, we are delighted to introduce you to some new members of the board. As well as those below, we are thrilled to be joined by Sarah Hartnett as Vice Chairman, Martin Powell as Treasurer, Ben Crocker as competition support, Szilárd Szentesi as membership support, and Sarah Frankland as social media support.
APC Chairman – Matt Owens
Having trained at Westminster Kingsway College, Matt went on to win gold medals at both the World Cup and Culinary Olympics. He has a wealth of industry experience including key positions in some of London’s top five-star hotels such as The Four Seasons Park Lane and The Waldorf Hotel as well as stints at Circadia at Compass, Zuidam, and Major International.
Owens joined Alliance Group as development chef in August 2021 for which he has gone on to cook for the New Zealand Olympic team in Paris 2024. He now has more than 20 years committee experience with the Craft Guild of Chefs, and in April completed his tenure as their Chairman. This with his background as an excellent pastry chef, made him the obvious choice to chair the organisation.
Shona Sutherland – APC Membership
An established chef, Shona opened Taystful in Blairgowrie, Perthshire in 2011, where she creates beautiful wedding cakes, luxury chocolates and patisserie. She also delivers private courses and training which are popular in the UK and beyond.
A talented competition chef, Shona has competed successfully at the Culinary World Cup, Culinary Olympics, Salon Culinaire and Scottish Culinary Championships as both a team member and as an individual. She is also a judge for various prestigious culinary events.
Andrew Ditchfield – APC Competition Secretary A pastry chef of 30 years, Andrew started at Barnfield collage doing NVQ 1,2,3 and a Craft Guild diploma in pastry, and later gained an HND and BSc.
He progressed to L’Ortolan under John Burton Race, before going to Claridge’s with John Williams. He is currently Head of the Pastry department at the House of Commons, where they serve the entire parliamentary estate from cafeteria dinning to state banquets. In addition, he is an established competition chef, competing with Team England to win Gold in Culinary World Cup and Culinary Olympics, and is a judge for WorldChefs Association.
Mark Perkins – APC Competition support
Mark has a 36-year culinary career, which took off after studying Hospitality Management before pivoting to focus on patisserie and confectionary. Moving to London in 1999, he joined the Berkeley Hotel, taking over the role as Head Pastry Chef. From there he joined Renaissance Hotel Chancery Court as Executive Pastry Chef in 2003, and he is currently Executive Pastry Chef at Rosewood London.
Mark has been industry recognised for his work, winning many prestigious accolades including the Award of Culinary Excellence Rising Star Award, Two Gold Awards for Sugar Show Pieces at Hotelympia, Harden’s Best Afternoon Tea of the Year, Best Contemporary Afternoon Tea in the United Kingdom for two consecutive years and the Craft Guild of Chefs Pastry Chef of The Year 2023.
Andrea Ruff – APC Social Media
Andrea has been teaching Culinary Arts students in Further Education since 1987, including establishments such as Bedford College and Westminster Kingsway College. She currently heads up the Claire Clark Academy Centre of Patisserie Excellence at MK College, where she encourages her patisserie students to participate in competitions, work placements, workshops and hospitality shows.
Andrea has previously worked at the Dorchester Hotel, the Ritz Hotel and the Hyatt Carlton Tower, and in 2019 won the Craft Guild of Chefs Chef Lecturer Award. Andrea has been Vice Chair of the Association of Pastry chefs for the last 25 years and is a former committee member of Pastry team UK Club Coupe du Monde.
Paul Beard – APC Committee
Paul has been in the bakery food industry for more than 43 years. His passion for food baking started when he began as a pastry chef apprenticeship before attending the Birmingham College of Food and Domestic Arts where he trained as a chef and completed a City & Guilds in Bakery and Pastry.
For the past 17 years, he has worked for Delifrance, where he is the Head Bakery and Pastry Chef, and uses his expertise to guide teams and foster a culture of creativity and excellence.
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