The ACF Pastry Chef of the Year award recognizes a pastry chef who displays a passion for the craft, has an accomplished reputation in the pastry field, and has helped educate others by sharing skills and knowledge.
Taking place at the Cook. Craft. Create. ACF National Convention & Show (July 9-13 in Orlando, Florida), the 2017 American Culinary Federation Awards included a culinary competition which pitted four national finalists against each other for the prestigious title of Pastry Chef of the Year as well as $5,000.
Boman and his apprentice Brittany Goldberg had only 2½ hours to prepare and serve three items to the judges:
- A cold-plated dessert featuring key lime, strawberries, and cream cheese
- A signature cookie
- A dessert at least 2 feet tall, composed mostly of either chocolate or sugar work
Boman and Goldberg earned the title with these Pirates of the Caribbean-themed items:
- Rum Runner Isle Cheesecake: mojito key lime sorbet, vanilla chiffon sponge, strawberry-thyme gelee, macadamia almond crunch, strawberry tartar, caramel sauce and strawberry foam
- Jack Sparrow "Pieces of Eight Coin" cookies: peanut butter bar with milk chocolate and graham cracker sandwiched between peanut butter cookies
- Davy Jones "Release the Kracken" chocolate and pastillage (a sugar-based dough) showpiece
