The World’s Best Restaurant Awards ceremony, sponsored by Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, takes place on 25 June in Singapore. It celebrates the pinnacle of global gastronomy, bringing together a community of world-leading chefs, restaurateurs and food lovers.

Préalpato said: “It is an absolute honour to be recognised as The World’s Best Pastry Chef. As the daughter of two pastry chefs, I have been immersed in the world of culinary arts my entire life. This award represents my life journey and the passion I have for this art. I hope this award inspires emerging pastry chefs around the world.

“I firstly wish to thank my family, and my parents who were also pastry chefs like me. I also want to thank Alain Ducasse for trusting me four years ago, for having given me the keys to the restaurant’s pastry station and this wonderful vision of naturalness.

“In my viewpoint, naturalness really means highlighting the product, obtaining it in the right season, at the right temperature. I would describe my deserts today as very raw presentation, not necessarily ‘instagramable’ as we say at the moment, but really based on the product and also on a real story that is created when we design the dessert or when we present the dessert on a plate, by trying to bring something different.”

Born into a family of pastry cooks, dessert was always going to be a key player in Préalpato’s life. She began her career in the kitchen at La Chèvre d’Or in Eze where she worked under Philippe Labbé.

In November 2015, she joined the staff at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée as pastry chef. At the Parisian restaurant, currently ranked 13 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 list, she increased her reputation.

William Drew, director of content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said: “Her creativity and devotion to the world of food and the art of baking makes her the perfect recipient of this award.

“Her cooking is absolutely of the moment: the way she manipulates natural sugars without sacrificing flavour chimes perfectly with the restaurant’s ideology and the cultural zeitgeist to cut down on sugar intake.”

In November 2018 Préalpato published her book Desseralité, on creative approaches to fruit-based desserts.

The World’s Best Pastry Chef is voted for by more than 1,000 international restaurant industry experts and well-travelled gourmets.