In a blind tasting, a specialized jury tasted 50 samples to decide the winners of the year; check the ranking
And then it’s Christmas… one of the most awaited periods of the year has arrived and, with it, the now traditional tasting of panettoni and chocotones of Palate. As soon as the first samples began to appear on the market, our team went into the field to find out what bakeries, pastry shops and large industry had to offer this year.
After hundreds of emails, as well as on-site visits, we selected the 50 samples to test: 25 panettone, studded with various fruits, and 25 chocotone, with chocolate chips. Stuffed or truffle versions have been excluded: because we bet on balance, the rule here is the famous less is more.
To evaluate the samples, we convened a strong jury, composed of the pastry chefs Carol Doher, of Condominio, Pedro Nóbrega, of Notiê, and Saiko Izawa, of Rosewood, the chefs Gabriela Guerriero, of Fermentaria da Trilha, and Nadia Pizzo, of Ráscal, for the entrepreneur and chocolate expert Murilo Bonadio, of Flavoroti, by the pizza chef Paul Cho, of Paul’s Boutique, and the baker Taís Gomes, of Nina Farina. They were divided into two teams to choose, blindly, the best panettone or the best chocotone.
This is exactly what you’re thinking: Each judge was assigned the task of carefully tasting 25 samples. It’s not an easy task, have an appetite! Bones of the trade…
The panettones (or chocotones) were evaluated regarding the visual appearance, the aroma, the humidity and density of the dough, the distribution of the fruit (or chocolate chips) and, obviously, the flavour.
Consult the ranking below, which lists, in addition to the champions who take home the coveted Paladar seal, also those ranked up to 10th place. The rest are listed alphabetically.
The best panettone of 2023
- Three Children
- calf’s foot jelly
- To manufacture
See the top 10 and all 25 rated brands here
The best chocolates of 2023
- Let’s make bread
- Dengo
- Three Children
See the top 10 and all 25 rated brands here
Meet the judges
Panettone team
Nadia Pizzo She has a degree in fashion, a sector in which she worked for a few years, until she got married and moved from Italy to Brazil. Here you decided to embrace gastronomy as a profession. In Grupo Ráscal since 2002, she is responsible for creating recipes, renewing the menu and training the chefs in all areas of the restaurant.
Pedro Nobrega He has worked as a chef since he was 17 years old. He was part of the Evvai and Corrutela teams, as well as Puriman (in Serra da Mantiqueira). Today he runs the Notiê pastry shop, where he tries, through desserts, to promote freedom and creativity in national pastry making.
Saiko Izawa he is the pastry chef at Rosewood São Paulo. Previously, he was a pastry chef at the DOM group, Attimo, A Casa do Porco and Sorveteria do Centro, as well as teaching at Le Cordon Bleu, in São Paulo. In 2017 she was named best pastry chef by Latin America’s 50 Best.
Tais Gomes He recently left a promising career in aviation to run his own artisan bakery, Nina Farina, located in the north of the city. There he dedicated himself to the production of naturally fermented bread, puff pastries and other delicacies.
Chocolate team
Carol Doher she is the founder of Condominio Bistrô e Café: after studying marketing in California, she brought the concept of American coffee with typical American desserts to Brazil. In 2023 you also opened Alma Nômade, a snack bar / café inside Salve Academia, with a menu inspired by street food from all over the world.
Gabriela Guerriero He is the chef of Trilha Fermentaria. Having graduated in Gastronomy from Anhembi Morumbi, she has worked in places such as Esquina Mocotó, Les Crayeres (after having participated in a gastronomic competition for young culinary talents in France), Baru Marisqueira and Mila.
Murilo Bonadio is a food entrepreneur, creator of brands such as the Welcome Chef buffet and the Taste House food event space. Since 2020 he has dedicated himself to Flavoroti, a bean-to-bar chocolate factory located in Ipiranga, where he also produces hazelnut and pistachio creams, desserts and bread.
Paolo Cho is a pizza chef at Paul’s Boutique. He began his culinary career as an intern at DOM, emigrated to the now defunct Epice and, outside the country, worked in Dubai, South Korea and New York. Returning to Brazil, he took over the Bráz Elettrica ovens between 2017 and 2021.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
