The Chocolate Maker

Deniz Karaca

Deniz Karaca started his career at 16, as an apprentice at the esteemed Cron & Lanz patisserie in Göttingen, Germany. He was subsequently awarded a federal scholarship and graduated at age 22 with a Masters in Patisserie and Chocolate Artistry. He spent three years working at a number of restaurants throughout Germany, as well as a year on one of the world’s leading luxury cruise ships, before setting off for Australia.

Deniz has held positions at some of Melbourne’s finest pastry kitchens including Epicure and Crown Resorts & Casinos. His approach to chocolate and desserts has won him many awards, including the title of Savour’s Australian Patissier of the Year and the Australian Chocolate Master and Asia Pacific Chocolate Master. On the back of these regional accolades, he placed third in the World Chocolate Masters in Paris, one of the most prestigious accolades in the industry and worldwide and the highest ranking ever achieved by an Australian until this day. With these awards under his belt, Deniz appeared as a guest chef on MasterChef Australia, setting one of the most complex caramel challenges to date.

With a thirst to transfer his culinary ideas to budding pastry chefs, Deniz travels across the globe to teach his skills. He lends his knowledge to students throughout Europe and Asia, from Singapore, Japan and India to his native Germany, as well as teaching at the notable Le Cordon Bleu in Australia.

Deniz now splits his time between consulting, teaching and making chocolate/sourcing cocoa at Cuvée.