Philip Khoury

Philip Khoury is an Australian pastry chef whose professional identity is centered on plant-based pastry, cookbook authorship, public education, and confectionery. Born in 1990 in Westmead, Sydney, he grew up in Oatlands in a Lebanese Catholic family whose parents had left Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. He studied design at Western Sydney University and initially worked in communications design. A visit to Paris helped redirect his interests toward baking, and, encouraged by a manager who admired his home baking, he began a retail baking apprenticeship at TAFE NSW in Ryde at the age of 21. Khoury's early culinary experience included work at Peter Gilmore's Quay, collaboration with Anna Polyviou at the Shangri-La Sydney, and an assistant role with pâtissier Adriano Zumbo. These positions gave him experience across restaurant pastry, modern Australian dessert culture, and highly visible patisserie production. At 29, while visiting London, he accepted an offer to become Head of Pastry at Harrods. From 2018 until early 2025, he led a pastry operation serving the department store's restaurants, food halls, and culinary lines. The role involved supervising more than 50 chefs and placed him within one of the United Kingdom's most prominent luxury food retail environments. Khoury's signature proposition is the development of sophisticated desserts using plant-based techniques and ingredients. His work challenges the conventional pastry dependence on eggs, butter, cream, and other dairy products, while seeking to preserve the texture, appearance, and indulgence associated with classic desserts. Although his work is positioned at the premium end of pastry, he has also emphasized accessibility and practical home baking. He has advocated for broader support for culinary education and for sustainable changes in professional kitchens. His first book, A New Way to Bake: Re-imagined Recipes for Plant-Based Cakes, Bakes and Desserts, was published by Quadrille in 2023. The book presents plant-based versions of familiar and international desserts and helped establish Khoury as a public-facing authority on vegan and contemporary pastry. It received the Best Vegan Cookbook award from PETA UK, was recognized as Best Debut Cookery Book at the 2024 Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards, and appeared on cookbook recommendation lists from publications including Harper's Bazaar, British GQ, and Delicious. Khoury also received a pastry innovation award from La Liste and was awarded an honorary fellowship by Western Sydney University. Khoury has expanded his reach through television, journalism, and public appearances. He has appeared repeatedly on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen, contributed recipes and articles to The Guardian and BBC Food, judged episodes of Channel 4's Bake Off: The Professionals, and discussed plant-based baking and his book on This Morning and Good Morning America. In 2025, he developed Beirut Chocolate for a charitable bake sale supporting Lebanon. The limited-edition bar combined orange blossom caramel, twice-baked baklava, cashew crème, and almond milk chocolate, and used packaging featuring a vintage Lebanese postage stamp and London postmark. Following attention in Middle Eastern markets, he launched the East London-based Khourys confectionery brand in August 2025. He also published Beyond Baking: Plant-Based Baking for a New Era in 2025. After stepping down from Harrods at the beginning of 2025, Khoury indicated that he was ready to take the next step, suggesting a shift from an institutional pastry leadership role toward independent products, publishing, and brand development.

Philip Khoury was born in 1990 in Westmead, Sydney, and grew up in Oatlands, a suburb in the Parramatta area. He is one of four children in a Lebanese Catholic family. His mother came from Tannourine and his father from Dinniyeh; both parents had left Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. Khoury's early education included Parramatta Marist High School, followed by a Bachelor of Design at Western Sydney University. Before entering professional kitchens, Khoury worked as a communications designer. His direction changed after a visit to Paris stimulated a deeper interest in baking. At 21, with encouragement from a supervisor who enjoyed his homemade bakes, he enrolled in a retail baking apprenticeship at TAFE NSW in Ryde. This transition from design to pastry influenced his later approach, which combines visual presentation with technical experimentation. Khoury's early pastry career included work at Peter Gilmore's Quay and with Anna Polyviou at the Shangri-La Sydney. He subsequently worked as an assistant to Adriano Zumbo. These roles exposed him to restaurant pastry, theatrical dessert presentation, and demanding production environments. At the age of 29, while visiting London, he was offered the position of Head of Pastry at Harrods. Khoury held the Harrods position from 2018 until early 2025. He oversaw a team of more than 50 chefs producing pastry for the department store's restaurants, food halls, and culinary product lines. The position gave him responsibility for large-scale luxury food production while also providing a platform for developing plant-based pastry within a major international retail institution. He left the role after roughly six years, describing the change as the next step following a fulfilling period at Harrods. Plant-based baking became the central theme of Khoury's independent work. Rather than presenting vegan pastry as a narrow dietary substitute, he has focused on recreating the structure, richness, and visual appeal of conventional pastry through alternative ingredients and methods. His work also draws on classic and international desserts, including Lebanese flavor references. He has balanced high-end pastry techniques with an interest in making baking understandable and achievable for ordinary home cooks. Sustainability, reduced reliance on animal products, and greater support for culinary education are recurring themes in his public commentary. In 2023, Quadrille published Khoury's debut cookbook, A New Way to Bake: Re-imagined Recipes for Plant-Based Cakes, Bakes and Desserts. The title established his authorship and broadened his audience beyond professional pastry kitchens. It was later recognized by PETA UK and the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards, and appeared in several editorial cookbook selections. Khoury also received a pastry innovation award from La Liste and an honorary fellowship from Western Sydney University. His media work has included recurring appearances on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen, recipe and article contributions to The Guardian and BBC Food, guest judging on Channel 4's Bake Off: The Professionals, and television appearances on This Morning and Good Morning America. These appearances have supported his role as an educator and advocate for plant-based pastry rather than limiting his public identity to restaurant work. In 2025, Khoury created Beirut Chocolate for a fundraising market supporting Lebanon. The bar brought together orange blossom caramel, twice-baked baklava, cashew crème, and almond milk chocolate. Its packaging referenced Lebanon through a vintage postage stamp and connected the product to London through a postmark. The limited release attracted attention in Middle Eastern markets and became the foundation for the launch of Khourys, an East London confectionery brand, in August 2025. Khoury also published Beyond Baking: Plant-Based Baking for a New Era in 2025, extending his written work into a broader statement about the future of plant-based baking.

1. 2025Leaves Harrods pastry leadership

   Khoury stepped down as Harrods' Head of Pastry at the beginning of 2025.

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2. 2025Launches Beirut Chocolate and Khourys

   He first introduced Beirut Chocolate through a Lebanon fundraising market and later launched the Khourys confectionery brand in East London.

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3. 2024Receives major cookbook recognition

   A New Way to Bake won Best Debut Cookery Book at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards and Best Vegan Cookbook from PETA UK.

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4. 2023Publishes A New Way to Bake

   Quadrille published Khoury's first cookbook, focused on plant-based cakes, bakes, and desserts.

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5. 2018Becomes Head of Pastry at Harrods

   Khoury joined Harrods as Head of Pastry and led a team of more than 50 chefs serving the department store's food operations.

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6. 2011Begins formal baking training

   At age 21, Khoury enrolled in a retail baking apprenticeship at TAFE NSW in Ryde after moving from communications design toward pastry.

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7. 1990Birth in Sydney

   Philip Khoury was born in Westmead, Sydney, and grew up in Oatlands.

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A premium yet accessible plant-based pastry practice combining technical pastry craftsmanship, sustainability, Lebanese and international flavor references, publishing, and public culinary education.

• A New Way to BakeCookbook2023

  Khoury's debut cookbook, published by Quadrille in 2023, presents plant-based recipes for cakes, pastries, and desserts. It reworks familiar and international sweets without depending on eggs and dairy, while translating professional pastry ideas into formats intended for home bakers. The book helped define Khoury's public positioning as an advocate for sustainable, technically ambitious, and accessible vegan baking.

• Beyond BakingCookbook2025

  Beyond Baking: Plant-Based Baking for a New Era is Khoury's second listed book, published in 2025. It continues his focus on plant-based pastry and presents his work as part of a broader change in baking culture, rather than simply a collection of dairy-free substitutions.

• Beirut ChocolateConfectionery2025

  Beirut Chocolate is a specialty bar created for a Lebanon fundraising market in London. Its components include orange blossom caramel, twice-baked baklava, cashew crème, and almond milk chocolate. The design references Lebanese heritage through a vintage postage stamp and links the product to its London launch through a postmark.

• KhourysConfectionery brand2025

  Khourys is an East London-based confectionery brand launched by Philip Khoury in August 2025. The brand grew out of the attention received by Beirut Chocolate and represents Khoury's move toward independent branded products after leaving his Harrods leadership role.

• 2025London Douk Fundraising for Lebanon Market

  United Kingdom

  Khoury created Beirut Chocolate for a London fundraising market supporting Lebanon. The product connected plant-based confectionery with Lebanese flavors and cultural references.

  Outcome. The limited-edition bar attracted attention in Middle Eastern markets and helped lead to the formal launch of Khourys.

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• 2025Moves from Harrods leadership toward independent brand buildingStrategy

  After approximately six years as Harrods' Head of Pastry, Khoury said it was time to take the next step in his career.

  What changed. He stepped down from the Harrods role, published a second book, and developed the Khourys confectionery brand.

  Aftermath. The change expanded his activity from institutional pastry management into publishing, public education, and branded confectionery.

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• 2025Launches Beirut ChocolateProduct launch

  Khoury initially developed the product for a charity bake sale supporting Lebanon.

  What changed. He released a limited-edition plant-based chocolate bar combining Lebanese-inspired flavors and layered pastry elements.

  Aftermath. The product received notable attention in Middle Eastern markets and preceded the launch of Khourys.

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• 2025Khoury steps down as Head of Pastry at Harrods

  After approximately six years leading Harrods' pastry operation, Khoury left the role at the beginning of 2025 to pursue his next professional stage.

  Leadership change
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• 2025Beirut Chocolate launches through a Lebanon fundraising market

  Khoury created a limited-edition chocolate bar for the London Douk Fundraising for Lebanon Market. The product combined orange blossom caramel, twice-baked baklava, cashew crème, and almond milk chocolate.

  Product launchCampaign
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• 2025Khourys confectionery brand launches in East London

  Following attention for Beirut Chocolate, Khoury formally launched Khourys as an East London-based confectionery brand.

  Product launch
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• 2024A New Way to Bake receives cookbook and pastry recognition

  The book received PETA UK's Best Vegan Cookbook award and the Best Debut Cookery Book award at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. Khoury also received recognition for pastry innovation and an honorary fellowship from Western Sydney University.

  Other
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• 2023Philip Khoury publishes A New Way to Bake

  Khoury's debut cookbook presented plant-based versions of cakes, bakes, and desserts and established his public profile as a specialist in contemporary vegan pastry.

  Product launch
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1. Philip Khoury (chef)
2. Philip Khoury official website