If you are a fan of pastries and everything sweet, then you will know there is hardly a name bigger than that of Chef Dominique Ansel in the industry.

The French-born pastry artist, who is the Leonardo Da Vinci of the pastry world, owns eponymous bakeries in New York, Tokyo, London and Los Angeles.

He has been responsible for creating some of the world’s most feted pastries including The Cronut — a croissant-doughnut hybrid that was chosen as one of TIME Magazine’s 25 Best inventions of 2013 — The Cookie Shot, Frozen S’more and Blossoming Hot Chocolate, among others.

Chef Dominique, who never ever dreamed of becoming a hotshot chef in the first place, began life amidst humble surroundings.

He was born and raised in Beauvais, a small town just north of Paris, and began working at a local restaurant when he was 16 to support his family. He enrolled himself with a free culinary school in his neighbourhood and thus began the journey to pastry superstardom.

The pastry legend is currently in Doha, attending Hospitality Qatar 2018, the largest commercial hospitality exhibition in the country.

Qatar Living caught up with the pastry maestro and he had only good words to say about Qatar. Here is a look at his impressions about the country and his experiences here.

The Hospitality Qatar 2018 exhibition, which is running at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center until tomorrow, sees the participation of 188 exhibitors from 20 countries.

Not only has the event provided a great opportunity for people within the industry to network with one another, but it has also thrown light into Qatar’s growing hospitality market, which is set to see an all-time high growth in the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The hospitality show will also run a number of competitions — as part of Salon Culinaire — for local, regional and international chefs. There will be live cooking, mocktail and coffee making competitions.

What is your favourite pastry? Let us know in the comments below.

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