“Tom Hilton has probably achieved almost everything one could hope to in the culinary world. In fact, he had done most of it by the age of 23. But after a journey that took him to the highest of highs, and lowest of lows, Hilton has gone back to his roots – literally and figuratively – to reignite his love of chocolate. And he hopes to take many others along for the ride.”
We are very excited to have Tom leading the “chocolate workshop” in our 2023 Chatham Island Cooking Class. Tom is the founder of Ao Cacao which Tom says “is a timeless brand of chocolate that is high end from an indigenous lens and for the conscious consumer this means investing in a chocolate that has been loved, cared for and empowers a community – whilst bringing the mana back to what chocolate truly is.”
Tom is an internationally renowned chef creating patisseries in Paris and Michelin Star restaurants in the US.
Born in Surrey, England, Hilton’s dad is Māori, so he always felt a strong pull to New Zealand and we are soo fortunate to have Tom as part of our upcoming cooking classes – you can read more about Tom here.