About Ryan Stevenson
“My advice would be to learn and continue to learn. When I started, they told me that in my field it is an apprenticeship for life, which means that even I need to continually learn.” Ryan Stevenson was born in Australia where a part-time job in a bakery while studying mathematics at university piqued his interest, leading him to switch paths and pursue pastry and baking. He graduated from the Southbank Institute in bakery and patisserie, and studied sugar flowers and wedding cakes at the Baking Industry Association in Brisbane. His career began at Priestley's Gourmet Delights in Brisbane, where he worked as a patissier. He moved on to work at the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London, and, later, at the Lanesborough Hotel where he served as sous-chef patissier. He continued in Belgium at Planète Chocolat as a chocolatier, at Comme Chez Soi as Pastry Chef, and then at Le Saint Aulaye. He later joined Cacao Barry France and is now Head Chef of the Chocolate Academy™ Belgium. Ryan has a wide breadth of knowledge in chocolate, pastry, and baking, and credits his early studies in Mathematics with developing his ability to solve structural problems and understand the chemical nature of his creations. He has won numerous competitions including the Royal Bread show in Brisbane, and the Trophée Prosper Montagné in Belgium. In 2009 and 2010, he was named Chocolate Master™ in Belgium and won the World Chocolate Masters™ for best praline in Paris in 2009.
