New Delhi, July 30: Three of India's national culinary competition platforms-Valrhona Pastry Queen India 2026, Kolb Master Bakers Challenge India 2026, and AgroPure Culinary League 2026 – Battle of Besan-will be held during the 8th India International Hospitality Expo 2026 from 5 to 8 August 2026 at the India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, NCR.
Organised by Hammer Management & Marketing Services in association with Bakery Review, the three nationally recognised competitions celebrate culinary excellence while creating meaningful opportunities for professional women pastry chefs, professional bakers and women home chefs to showcase their skills before an eminent jury and the wider hospitality and foodservice industry.
Valrhona Pastry Queen India 2026 will feature top eight professional female pastry chefs, selected from entries received from across India. Kolb Master Bakers Challenge India 2026 will bring together the country's top eight professional bakers, while AgroPure Culinary League 2026 – Battle of Besan will see eight shortlisted teams of two home cooks compete live by presenting innovative dishes using AgroPure besan as the hero ingredient. Together, these competitions celebrate excellence, creativity and craftsmanship across professional and home kitchens.
IHE Expo 2026 is expected to attract over 25,000 B2B visitors, more than 1,000 exhibiting brands from 16+ countries, and over 100 industry leaders, speakers and experts. The exhibition serves as one of India's largest business platforms for the hospitality and foodservice industry, bringing together hotel owners, executive chefs, bakers, restaurateurs, procurement professionals, distributors, institutional buyers, culinary educators, students, ingredient suppliers, equipment manufacturers and technology providers.
Three National Platforms Celebrating Culinary Excellence
The 5th edition of Valrhona Pastry Queen India 2026, to be held on 5 and 6 August, is dedicated to professional women pastry chefs from across India. This year's theme, "The Dance of Birds," challenges participants to translate the elegance and movement of birds into artistic pastry creations while demonstrating excellence in chocolate work, sugar artistry, plated desserts and viennoiserie. The competition will evaluate creativity, technical precision, craftsmanship and execution under live competition conditions. The finalists will be evaluated by an eminent jury comprising Chef Avijit Ghosh, Dr. Balendra Singh, Dr. Parvinder Singh Bali, Mister Tikku, Sourish Bhattacharyya, Chef Rakesh Sethi, Chef Gauri Verma, Ankit Sahni, Raminder Bakshi and Chef Ramachandra Ganeshan, bringing together some of India's most respected pastry chefs, culinary educators, food experts and hospitality industry leaders.
On 7 August, the Kolb Master Bakers Challenge India 2026 will bring together the country's most accomplished bakery professionals. The competition is designed to assess technical expertise across artisan breads, bakery production, fermentation, dough handling, baking precision and consistency, reflecting the skills required in modern commercial bakeries and professional kitchens. The finalists will be evaluated by an eminent jury comprising Kazem Samandari, Chef Sehaj Ghuman, Mohammed Nauman Qureshi and Chef Robin Batra, representing some of the country's most respected bakery professionals, pastry experts and hospitality leaders.
The competitions will conclude on 8 August with AgroPure Culinary League 2026 – Battle of Besan, a unique national platform exclusively for home chefs. Eight shortlisted teams, each comprising two home cooks, will compete live by preparing innovative dishes using besan as the central ingredient, celebrating India's rich culinary heritage while encouraging creativity, teamwork and contemporary cooking techniques. The finalists will be evaluated by an eminent jury comprising Chef Anuraag Narsingani, Dr. Balendra Singh, Chef Nishant Choubey and Chef Vineet Manocha, bringing together some of India's most respected culinary professionals, hospitality leaders and culinary educators.
Beyond recognising culinary excellence, the competitions will provide hospitality professionals with an opportunity to witness ingredients, equipment, techniques and professional workflows in action. The live competition format enables chefs, hospitality businesses, suppliers, educators and buyers to exchange ideas, discover emerging talent and experience products in real working environments. PTC Punjabi Channel is the Official Telecast Partner for all three competitions.
“IHE Expo 2026 is designed to bring the hospitality industry together around business, knowledge and practical engagement. These three competitions will add strong professional value to the exhibition by allowing visitors to observe talent, techniques, ingredients and equipment in live working conditions. We look forward to welcoming chefs, bakers, food entrepreneurs, hospitality institutions and industry partners to the India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida,” said Rakesh Kumar, Chairman, India Exposition Mart Limited (IEML).
“Each competition has been created for a distinct talent group while connecting participants with the wider hospitality and foodservice industry. Pastry Queen India gives professional women pastry chefs a demanding national stage, Master Bakers Challenge recognises the skills of working bakers, and Culinary League creates visibility for accomplished home cooks. We want every participant to approach the platform with confidence, discipline and the determination to present their best work before the industry,” said Sanjay Anand, Co-founder and Director, Hammer Management & Marketing Services.
Event Details
Valrhona Pastry Queen India 2026: 5–6 August 2026
Kolb Master Bakers Challenge India 2026: 7 August 2026
AgroPure Culinary League 2026 – Battle of Besan: 8 August 2026
Venue: India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, NCR
IHE Expo 2026: 5-8 August 2026
Co-organised by IHE Expo 2026 and Hammer Management & Marketing Services in association with Bakery Review, Valrhona Pastry Queen India, Kolb Master Bakers Challenge India and AgroPure Culinary League – Battle of Besan are nationally recognised culinary competition platforms that celebrate excellence while connecting professional women pastry chefs, professional bakers and women home chefs with the hospitality and foodservice industry. Through structured, skill-based competitions, these platforms promote craftsmanship, innovation and professional growth across the culinary ecosystem.
