Four Seasons Resort Lanai Executive Pastry Chef Bruce Trouyet Awarded Best Bean to Bar at the 2026 Big Island Chocolate Festival

Chef Bruce Trouyet, Executive Pastry Chef at Four Seasons Resort Lanai, has claimed top honours at the 2026 Big Island Chocolate Festival’s Bean to Bar competition, along with Pastry Cook Maria de los Milagros Miceli. The winning creation was a warm Zacapa chocolate sabayon with spiced lilikoi and nibs praline, showcasing the chocolate’s depth of flavour and Chef Trouyet’s technique.

The annual festival, held from April 23 to April 25, 2026, brings together chefs, cacao farmers, chocolatiers and enthusiasts from across the islands and beyond for tastings, demonstrations and educational experiences celebrating the journey from cacao bean to chocolate bar.

The chocolate used in the winning dish was crafted entirely from cacao beans grown on the volcanic slopes of Mauna Loa and processed at the resort. Sourced from Hard Rock Gardens in Kealakekua, where Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario cacao trees flourish in rich volcanic soil at 800 feet (244 metres) above sea level, conditions remain slightly cooler and drier, helping the cacao ripen and develop complex flavour profiles.

Chef Bruce personally oversees every step of the chocolate‑making process, from roasting to conching, coaxing out a flavour profile he describes as layered and distinctly Hawaiian. The high cacao content creates a balance between bitter and sweet, yielding a smooth, full‑bodied taste with pronounced tannins. As there are no preservatives or emulsifiers, the chocolate reflects notes of the soil and landscape of Hawaii. He says, “At first you get a slightly smoky flavour, followed by notes of vanilla and dried fruit, before brighter fruit notes emerge.”

Organised by the Kona Cacao Association (KCA), the Big Island Chocolate Festival is Hawaii’s premier celebration of locally grown cacao and artisan chocolate. The multi‑day event serves as a platform for education, networking and showcasing the potential of Hawaii Island chocolate, celebrated for its sustainability, fair trade values and quality.

Born in the south of France and raised near the Italian border, Chef Bruce was shaped from an early age by two of the world’s most celebrated food cultures. He pursued his passion formally at the Auguste Escoffier Culinary School in France, earning three levels of pastry certification before embarking on an international hospitality career that ultimately brought him to the Hawaiian Islands.