Gunther F. Heiland, owner of Desserts International, Inc. in Exton, Pennsylvania, is a certified master pastry chef – one of the select few to hold this title in the United States. He was born in Austria, received his education as a baker and pastry cook in the tradition of the old guild system and completed it with the position of executive pastry chef in establishments in Iran, Portugal, Germany and for the last 30 years in the United States.

The recipient of numerous culinary awards, Gunther was named Chef of the Year in 1978 by the Chefs Association of Greater Atlanta. He competed in the Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany in 1976, 1980, and 1984 and won gold medals for all of his entries.

Gunther serves as a member of the American Culinary Federation’s Master Chef Certification Program Committee. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Chefs, member of the American Culinary Federation, Delaware Valley Chefs Association, Retail Bakers of America, and Hall of Fame of Chocolate Magazine.

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