PETITS FOUR: THOMAS HAAS WEARS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE PASTRY CHEF OF THE YEAR CROWN AT 2016 VANCOUVER MAGAZINE RESTAURANT AWARDS

Renowned Pâtissier Celebrates Five Wins in Six Years Overall Since Award’s Inception in 2011

In what has become something of a delicious tradition, renowned chocolatier and pâtissier Thomas Haas was named Pastry Chef of the Year for the fourth consecutive time at the 2016 edition of the annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards ceremony last night at the Sheraton Wall Centre.

The latest win is not only the fourth straight for Haas since 2013 and fifth since the award’s inception in 2011, but marks his 13th trophy at the awards ceremony overall when counting his eight previous wins in the category of Best Last Course, the first of which was awarded to Haas in 2001.

A fourth-generation pâtissier, Haas was first introduced to the delicate art of handcrafting chocolates and pastries in the kitchen of Cafe Konditorei Haas, opened by his great-grandfather in the Black Forest region of Aichhalden, Germany in 1918. Haas carried the torch and continued his family’s longstanding tradition, working with top chefs in Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe en route to earning his stripes as Konditormeister, or Master Pastry Chef.

Haas, who was inducted into the British Columbia Restaurant Hall of Fame in 2009, celebrated a number of special milestones in both his life and career in 2015 — it marked 20 years since he came to Vancouver to take on the role of Executive Pastry Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel, where he met his life and business partner Lisa, 15 years since the pair launched the namesake business and a decade since Thomas and Lisa opened the doors of their flagship chocolaterie, pâtisserie and café in North Vancouver.

“Winning Pastry Chef of the Year at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards even once is a big enough honour for any chef,” said Haas. “I share this with not only my wife Lisa, but also our dedicated team and loyal clientele who are the heart and soul of our business.”

ABOUT THOMAS HAAS CHOCOLATES & PÂTISSERIE | An internationally renowned, fourth-generation pâtissier, Thomas Haas gained experience in Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe and North America before settling in Vancouver and opening his own namesake chocolaterie, patisserie and café in 2005. Haas — Vancouver Magazine’s Pastry Chef of the Year in 2011 and 2013 through ’16 — uses only the finest raw ingredients sourced both locally and from around the globe and, in keeping with family custom, eschews the notion of assembly lines and mass production techniques, instead trusting in a talented team of pastry chefs and chocolatiers whose finesse and sensitivity is lovingly expressed in every hand-spun confection.

Thomas Haas products are exclusively available at both his Kitsilano and North Vancouver cafés as well as select leading hotels, retailers and restaurants across North America. thomashaas.com

North Shore | 128 – 998 Harbourside Dr. | North Vancouver, BC V7P 3T2 | 604-924-1847

Kitsilano | 2539 West Broadway | Vancouver, BC V6K 2E9 | 604-736-1848

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Sunday and Monday)

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Feature image: photo credit KK Law