THRICE AS NICE: THOMAS HAAS WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE PASTRY CHEF
OF THE YEAR NOD AT 2015 VANCOUVER MAGAZINE RESTAURANT AWARDS
Celebrated Chocolatier Carves Out Fourth Win in Five Years
For the third consecutive year and fourth in the last five, chocolatier and pâtissier Thomas Haas was crowned Pastry Chef of the Year as the 26th edition of the annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards were handed out Tuesday afternoon at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre.
Beyond being the fourth time the perennial favourite pastry chef and chocolatier has claimed the award since its inception in 2011 when Haas’ name was first called, it also marks the 12th time overall when taking into account his wins in the category of Best Last Course previously handed out at the annual ceremony.In the May edition of Vancouver Magazine, Paul Watt praised the fourth-generation pâtissier for his “inventiveness” and “incomparably decadent flavours” and called his pain au chocolat “as much a love letter to butter as any edible in the city” while noting that one of the judges singled out Haas as an “Undisputed master… (who) continues to create whimsical, wonderful chocolates, pastries and seasonal treats with dynamic style.”
It’s already been a banner year for Haas, who marks a number of personal and professional milestones in 2015. It’s been 20 years since Haas was first lured to Vancouver as Executive Pastry Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel, where he met his partner in life and business, Lisa. It’s also been 15 years since the duo launched the eponymous business, and in 2015 their flagship North Shore chocolaterie, pâtisserie and café marks its tenth anniversary, while their sister café in Kitsilano moves past its fifth year in business.
“This is an immense honour not only for myself and my wife but for all the talented, dedicated and hardworking pastry chefs, chocolatiers and loyal staff members we have working with us at both locations,” said Haas.
The Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards are judged by a panel of leading experts and critics, and are handed out at a formal award show. A full list of winners is available at www.vanmag.com.
About Thomas Haas Chocolates & Pâtisserie
An internationally acclaimed, fourth-generation pâtissier who received an early education in the delicate art of hand-crafting pastries and chocolates in the kitchen of his family’s café in Germany, Thomas Haas went on to apprentice and work in Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe and North America before settling in Vancouver and opening his own namesake chocolaterie, patisserie and café. Haas — Vancouver Magazine’s Pastry Chef of the Year in 2011, ’13, ’14 and ’15 — 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 and restaurants across North America. http://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)
Twitter: @thaaschocolates | Instagram: @thaaschocolates | Facebook: /thaaschocolates | thomashaas.com |