Will Torrent

Chocolate and all things sweet, for Will Torrent, is in the blood. Growing up around baking and cooking and cake-making, as well as having a chef for a grandfather, meant it was a natural choice for him to go into the world of food and specialise in patisserie.

Now, at just 24, Will is Young Chef of the Year 2009 and the Acorn Scholar 2010. Anyone would admit, he's come a very long way in a very short time: "I will always remember the smell of melted chocolate in my nan's kitchen.

She'd spend the whole day baking the perfect cake for us and I understood at a very young age the value of spending time on something you love" At 16 he was has his first experience of high-class cooking working for a week at the world renowned Fat Duck Restaurant with Heston Blumenthal and later whilst at university worked with some of England's top chefs including Heston Blumenthal, Brian Turner, William Curley, and Gary Rhodes as well as Claridges, The Dorchester, The Lanesborough and The Fat Duck. He knew that not only did he have to work hard but he had to work with the best.

'Heston in particular opened my eyes up to real cooking as well as teaching me his philosophy. His passion and drive for perfection is something I aspire to.' After a first-class degree in Culinary Arts Management from Thames Valley University, under the tutelage of Yolande Stanley MCA, Will went on to compete as a specialised patissier and chocolatier at the WorldSkills competition in Japan 2007. He won the coveted Medallion of Excellence - a first for any British pastry chef.

For a 20 year old, it was a major flip: "I was up against the best in the world, and to beat France, Germany and Switzerland (at their own game!) gave me the drive, determination and confidence to go out and be the best."

That was just the beginning. He has also been the overall winner of the Academy of Culinary Arts Awards of Excellence in 2007, gold at Salon Culinaire during Hospitality Week in 2007, a silver in 2009 and runner up in The Lacam Trophy 2008 and Dessert of the Year 2009. In 2009, Will was awarded the Young Chef of the Year Award by the Craft Guild of Chefs, presented by HRH Countess of Wessex at a glittering Oscar style ceremony in London: "It's fantastic to be recognised by chefs and for a pastry chef to win young chef of the year makes it even more sweet and I still can't believe it.

In 2010, Will was awarded the Acorn Scholar, another first for a pastry chef.  Michael Caines MBE presented Will with his award commenting: “Will’s ambition and passion really stood out. He gave an excellent presentation and was able to identify exactly where he wants to be in five years time and how the Scholarship can help.

At just 23, Will has already had a huge amount of success thanks to his determination and go-get attitude. We have no doubt that he is a worthy winner of the Acorn Scholarship and look forward to helping him achieve great things.” Will's success in the world of patisserie has not gone unnoticed by the world of television.

His charismatic personality and flair for chocolate has led to

appearances in, most notably, BBC's Sweet Baby James with James Martin and Ready Steady Cook, as well as press coverage ranging from Good Food Magazine to The Sunday Post to MSN. A confident public speaker, Will is able to talk enthusiastically about his passion for chocolate - which is, when you talk to him, almost a mission to educate and inform the public about the fact that good quality chocolate is healthy, delicious, and - in the right hands can be an art form.

Recently, he spoke at the VQ Day Launch at the House of Commons (with the Edge Foundation) as well as on Capital Radio, with the Worldskills roadshows. In 2009 Will flew to Canada as UK Ambassador to the Premiere Experience at WorldSkills 2009 and helped train the next competitor. Will continues to perfect his skills at Bachmann's Patisserie and Chocolate Creations in Thames Ditton, and his dedication to his art has meant that he was the perfect choice to launch the new range of Krups Prep Expert kitchen equipment in 2008 and encourage kids to cook at Flora Cooking With Schools events in 2010. Will is a member of the Craft Guild of Chefs and has judged for the Academy of Culinary Arts, WorldSkills UK, FutureChef, Springboard and L'atelier des Chefs.

As an accomplished jazz singer also, Will has been an Executive of the Montgomery Holloway Music Trust for over five years and regularly performs with Laurie and the Trio and presents the Trust’s concerts. Will has trained with Jacqui Dankworth, Tina May, Sara Colman, Anita Wardell and has had the privilege of working with Laurie Holloway, Malcolm Edmonstone, Simon Colam, Dave Olney, Harold Fisher and Paul Morgan. Since 2006 his bi-annual charity fundraiser “Strictly Come Dining”, where Will prepares the menu and sings with his trio has helped raise £10,000 for charity and this September raised £5000 for the Calabash Trust which will help fund feeding and educational programmes in the townships of South Africa.