Eero Paulamäki can conjure up anything out of chocolate.
Eero Paulamäki developed a milk chocolate cake in honor of Fazer Sininen’s 100th anniversary. Wind Lindgren
October 29–31 A group of the world’s most skilled chocolatiers gather in Paris as the city hosts the finals of the prestigious World Chocolate Masters competition.
One of the eighteen chocolatiers from different parts of the world is Eero Paulamäki, who is the first Finn ever to make it to the finals. Paulamäki represents the Nordic countries and Finland in the most prestigious and difficult competition in the chocolate industry.
Eero Paulamäki is the master pastry chef at Fazer Café Kluuvikatu. He has been honing his professional skills for years, and the dream of the final of the World Chocolate Masters competition has been alive for fourteen years. Paulamäki has been around the competition in tight qualifiers since 2008.
Paulamäki says he is happy with the final place, because it shows that hard work has paid off. When talking about the world’s toughest talent, reaching the finals is already a great achievement in a competition whose level gets tougher every year.
Where previously the contestants had to make a chocolate sculpture, this year they have to learn 3D modeling, among other things. For the finals, the contestants have also been allowed to design their own chocolate.
– I must say that I have always dreamed of this, but when I saw the 78-page assignment for the final, I already thought that I could cancel, says Paulamäki and laughs.
The right field after a difficult youth
Paulamäki’s enthusiasm for chocolate started with an accident. Behind him was a difficult childhood and youth, and Paulamäki was drifting into the wrong crowd.
When it came time to apply to either a vocational school or a high school after elementary school, Paulamäki decided to follow his older brother’s example and apply to the bakery-confectionery line. The place to study became available and Paulamäki became excited about the field, where you can work with your hands and use your creativity freely. Already two years later, Paulamäki finished third in the Finnish championships. A year later, he prepared for the World Championship qualifiers.
Today, Paulamäki works at Fazer as a pastry chef.
– The customer runs out of imagination before we run out of professionalism, he answers the question about what he can do with chocolate.
Anything. You can do anything with chocolate, there are really no limits. And that, challenging himself, is what Paulamäki has always wanted to do. That’s why he doesn’t hide his enthusiasm for the upcoming final.
– I’ve always wanted to show that I’m up for it. I can make it to the best of the best. In this job, the appreciation of colleagues has to be earned, it cannot be bought.
Close ones in the audience
When Paulamäki enters the competition at the Salon du Chocolate fair in Paris early in the morning at the end of October, Paulamäki’s daughter, girlfriend, co-workers and colleagues are sitting in the stands. The encouragement of loved ones will be important during the five-hour crunch, where the task is to fill a one and a half meter wide and two and a half meter high window with chocolate.
On the second day of the final, the task is to bake a chocolate cake. Paulamäki plans to use Finnish rye and gooseberries in its own.
After two days of competition, the top ten continue to the super finals, whose task is to modify different pastry concepts for different target groups. Paulamäki has chosen the elderly as one of his target groups, and he dedicates the task to his own mother, who recently died of cancer.
– That target group hit hard right away.
Paulamäki’s goal is to reach the podium in the competition.
– The one who succeeds in this competition is the one who is able to work consistently throughout the competition and exceed the average in every job.
That’s what Paulamäki intends to strive for, even though he knows that his heart rate will be high on the morning of the race day. After all, the pursuit of one big dream lies ahead.