Saudi chocolatier wins Chocolate Master competition in Switzerland

Riyadh, The Gulf Observer: A Saudi pastry student and chocolatier has won a competition for her chocolate creation in which she showcased AlUla’s Hegra — the Kingdom’s first UNESCO world heritage site.

Speaking on her inspiration behind the showpiece, Khuolod Khalid said she was “astonished” by “the massive human and natural heritage of AlUla that makes one feel so small in this big universe.”

The Chocolate Master Challenge was organized by the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland under the theme “Winter Memories.”

Khalid said: “After receiving the theme, I decided to embody the winter in Arabia in this chocolate showpiece.”

Four judges were invited to choose the winner, including World Chocolate Champion Jorge Cardoso, who won the title twice in 2018 and 2022 at the Culinary World Cup where he represented Switzerland.

Khalid has worked for the Royal Commission of AlUla as a digital strategy consultant and supported a UNESCO campaign in which Saudi Arabia won membership to the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural executive board.

She said working for the RCU was an “eye-opener” that helped her discover the extraordinary treasures of the historic city.

“I have always been amazed by this archaeological site and wanted to present it on an international level to tell the world about our history and the ancient civilization that lived thousands of years ago,” Khalid said.

“The idea was to combine the ancient archaeological site of AlUla, Hegra, with the modern-day activities and events that are taking place in AlUla, such as ‘Winter at Tantora,’ which was represented by the modern winter hat.”

Inspired by her love of animals, she also featured the Arabian leopard in her chocolate creation. She wrote about the Arabian leopard while working with the Ministry of Economy and Planning managing the Saudi pavilion’s online accounts and content at Dubai Expo 2020. She said it was then that she discovered the incredible creature.

“I have been reading about the Arabian leopard, which is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature,” she said, thanking the RCU for its commitment to safeguarding the species and reintroducing it to the area.

“I have decided to make the Arabian leopard part of my showpiece since it’s linked to AlUla,” she said.

Cardoso said: “The chocolate sculpture has successfully represented Saudi Arabia. It was an elegant piece that had a feminine touch. The sculpture had different techniques, from preparation to work and finally coloring. It also had clean collages. A nice job for the first chocolate sculpture.”

In Khalid’s showpiece, Hegra stands on a layer of “sand” inspired by artist Jim Denevan’s work, “Desert X AlUla — Angle of Repose.” The sand layer was also used on a tart that was part of the Master Challenge and was sprayed with beige-colored cocoa butter to give it a realistic effect. The flavors of saffron and orange were also incorporated to represent the region.

The judge and pastry chef at the Culinary Arts Academy, Abdullatif Hermann, said: “Many things have surprised me. The sand was portrayed perfectly, reflecting the amazing color of the desert. I could feel the strong symbol of Saudi culture and history that is moving forward and opening up to the world.

“As a young Saudi artist, Ms. Khuolod has done a wonderful job (in showcasing) Saudi Arabia’s heritage.”

He added: “The new Saudi generation is ambitious and is not only able to carry their past but also represent it to the rest of the world in the best possible way.”

Khalid started her own small chocolate business in 2013 making chocolate pralines and bars. She was hired by Cardoso in January for his new brand JC Chocolatier.

“It’s both an honor and a huge opportunity to work directly with the World Chocolate Champion and learn all the advanced techniques for creating chocolate sculptures. I want to bring back this knowledge to Saudi Arabia and expand my chocolate business,” she said.

Khalid also shared how nostalgic she feels about her work with Saudi government entities as a consultant in PR, communications, and digital strategy. She said she is eager to return to this field and work on giga-projects within the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

She is currently studying at the Culinary Arts Academy under a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture.

“I would like to give my special thanks to the government of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Culture for their full support and trust in me. Thanks for making my dreams come true,” Khalid said.