OPAIC student wins bronze in top NZ pastry competition

OPAIC student Sisi Li has taken out the Bronze Medal in the NZ Pastry Chef of the Year 2025 category at the prestigious NZ Chefs Championships.

Only the top candidates from across New Zealand are selected to compete and must submit a professional CV to enter. The competition involves an on-site three-hour challenge, creating four plated fine-dining desserts and one large celebration cake.

It’s judged by around 10 professional judges, who assess each competitor's technical skills, hygiene, creativity, taste, plating aesthetics, and time management. 

Sisi says the theme was “Taste of New Zealand,” which required each contestant to highlight uniquely New Zealand elements. 

“I embraced this theme throughout every aspect of my work - from ingredient selection to visual design,” she says.

During a road trip across the South Island, she came across quince for the first time. She later learned it often symbolises memories of grandparents among New Zealanders.

“I found this cultural connection touching and decided to use it for my dessert. I poached it with New Zealand's iconic Sauvignon Blanc, as the main flavour of my dessert.”

For the visual element, she created a kiwi bird out of chocolate, a design she originally developed two years ago when she first arrived in New Zealand. 

“For the competition, I redesigned the chocolate kiwi. I used Koru, a traditional Māori motif representing growth and renewal, by carving its shape into the chocolate kiwi’s body.”

Earlier this year, Sisi created a nearly one-metre-tall chocolate kiwi showpiece for her hotel’s Easter display. It was exhibited in the hotel lobby and received good attention and positive feedback on social media. 

“These works represent my deep appreciation and respect for this country. I truly hope that in the future, I can continue contributing to this land through more meaningful, innovative, and culturally resonant creations.”

Sisi says a unique challenge she faced was that most competitors were supported by organisations like culinary schools or companies like SkyCity. That meant they had access to coaches, mentors, and professional equipment. 

“I was the only solo competitor, preparing entirely on my own. I remember watching others use high-end devices worth tens of thousands of dollars, while one of my devices is an $18 Kmart hand mixer.”

The road to New Zealand 

Sisi’s qualifications and experience include a degree in art, and five years of professional experience as an illustrator and designer. 

Around 12 years ago, she made the transition into the pastry industry and founded her own cake and dessert brand in China, which she operated for more than nine years. As the business was independently run, she was involved in every aspect of its operations, from production and marketing to sales, HR, and staff training. 

Sisi has also studied professional pastry courses in France and Italy and had the privilege of learning directly from several world-renowned pastry chefs. 

“My pastry work is known for its strong artistic design and high-end positioning, which has led me to create custom cakes for film celebrities and collaborate with luxury brands,” she says.

Sisi was invited to serve as the official instructor for Louis Vuitton’s VIP events in China for two consecutive years.

She now works as a Senior Pastry Chef at an international five-star hotel.

Putting learning into practice

Sisi came to New Zealand to strengthen her management capabilities and improve her English communication skills, to prepare her to operate confidently in a global context. 

“I was particularly drawn to OPAIC for its practical, applied approach to management education,” she says. 

Sisi says the decision to enter the competition was directly inspired by one of her assignments in her Entrepreneurship and Innovation course, part of her Master of Applied Management degree. The assignment focused on analysing how local businesses use competitive advantages and marketing strategies to achieve success. 

“One day, I had a spontaneous idea: what if I applied the same strategic analysis to myself as a professional in New Zealand’s job market?”

Through this self-assessment, she concluded that she needed a credible, locally recognised, and authoritative endorsement to strengthen her positioning. That’s when she came across the NZ Chefs Championships. 

Even though it was a technical pastry competition, she was able to apply skills from her Project Management course to break down the entire preparation process into detailed micro-tasks. 

“For example, I allocated every minute of the three-hour live competition to a specific action, tool, or ingredient. I also identified high-risk steps and created plan B, just like risk management.”

She was amazed by how her academic training had reshaped her way of thinking. 

“I was able to quickly understand a new challenge, build a clear execution framework, and carry it through under pressure, all thanks to the structured, strategic thinking I’ve learned during my studies. It made me realise that no matter the industry, success begins with a clear logic and plan.”

After Sisi graduates, she hopes to build a structured, stable, and future-ready pastry business here in New Zealand. She also hopes to contribute to the industry as an instructor or trainer, sharing her experience and knowledge through pastry or culinary education programmes in New Zealand.