In Mauritius, culinary exchange lures some of Europe’s top chefs to the Constance Culinary Festival

But what is it that keeps the chefs coming back? For them, it’s all about the transfer of knowledge. “I’ve been coming here for 10 years,” says Hermé, who oversees one of the week’s biggest competitions, the Pierre Hermé Trophy. “The level gets higher and higher every year, and the competition always gets more interesting.”

Named as the World’s Best Pastry Chef by World’s 50 Best in 2016 and described as the “Picasso of Pastry”, Hermé, who has boutiques around the…