HA NOI (VNS)  — World Champion Pastry Chef and Chocolatier Olivier Bajard from Perpignan, France, will anchor a five-day chocolate festival at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi from May 6 to 10.

The event will feature chocolate stirred into a plethora of cocktails and placed on pedestals at daily chocolate buffets. A jazz diva will complement the buffet tonight (Thursday), while a fashion show will complement the buffet tomorrow night.

Chef Bajard will hold court in the kitchen, cooking up some of the cakes he's famous for in France. He will team up with the hotel's chefs to offer an unforgettable evening of great food and desserts on Saturday. The festival will conclude with a Mother's Day brunch on May 10 and will feature his extravagant creations.

Bajard won the top title at the World Championship of Dessert Crafts in 1995. In 2005, he founded the International School of Pastry in Perpignan, France. He currently owns and operates a pastry shops in France. — VNS