Chocolatier
Encyclopedia
A chocolatier is someone who makes confectionery
from chocolate
. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients.
Professional chocolatiers study topics including the following:
There are a variety of culinary schools and even specialty chocolate schools, like Ecole Chocolate School in Canada, or The Chocolate Academy, with twelve different schools in the world. The French Culinary Institute
also offers pastry and confectionery courses that are said to help a chocolatier learn the trade.
To become a chocolatier one must learn how to make and work with chocolate on different levels to create handcrafted pieces of art that also must taste sensational. Generally schooling consists of learning how to make chocolate from a variety of different origins. Once students learn how to make chocolate and begin to understand the physical and chemical aspects of chocolates they can learn to work with chocolate in many different applications. Chocolate is a versatile food thus different courses offer learning about different techniques when working with chocolate. Once someone becomes well-educated about all of chocolates' applications, or specializes in specific applications of chocolate they may be considered a chocolatier. Often perfecting technical techniques of design and the art of flavor takes many years of practice. Advanced studies can lead to a better understanding of the components of chocolate and how to make chocolates along with sculpting and creating beautiful masterpieces from chocolate.
2007 World Chocolate Masters Winner: Naomi Mizuno Mizuno, from Japan, took home the title to the World Chocolate Masters competition in 2007. The competition was judged in four different categories, including: molded praline
s, hand-dipped pralines, gastronomic chocolate dessert, small chocolate showpiece, and creative chocolate showpiece. Mizuno, 28 years old, was the youngest competitor ever from his nation. He is employed at a pastry school, Futaba Pastry.
which crystallizes during the heat treatment of melting and tempering chocolate. The crystal formation in chocolate can affect many different attributes to the chocolate - mouthfeel
, snap of the chocolate, the color, dull or shiny. Heating the chocolate at certain temperatures, around 86-90 °F, for specific periods of time and then cooling the chocolate and working with, in alternating segments is referred to as tempering. There are machines that can temper chocolate for you, but many chocolatiers use marble slabs and hand-tools to cool the chocolate and work with it.
Molding: Molding is a design technique used in making chocolate pieces that are of a certain shape by taking liquid chocolate and pouring it into a mold and letting it harden. You can go to the WikiHow - Mold Chocolate Candy site to see instructions on how to mold chocolate.
Sculpting: Sculpting is a type of three dimensional artwork, and in the case of a chocolatier, involves using only chocolate to create the piece of artwork. Sculpting may involve using molds and pieces of chocolate, and decorating the piece with designs in chocolate.
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
from chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients.
Professional chocolatiers study topics including the following:
- the history of chocolateHistory of ChocolateThe history of chocolate begins in Mesoamerica. Chocolate, the fermented, roasted, and ground beans of the Theobroma cacao, can be traced to the Mokaya and other pre-Olmec people, with evidence of cacao beverages dating back to 1900 BCE....
- modern techniques of cultivation and processing
- the chemistry of chocolate's flavors and textures
- chocolate tempering, dipping, decorating, and moldingMolding (process)Molding or moulding is the process of manufacturing by shaping pliable raw material using a rigid frame or model called a pattern....
- confectionery formulae based on ganacheGanacheGanache is a glaze, icing, or filling for pastries made from chocolate and cream.Ganache is normally made by heating cream, then pouring it over chopped dark semi-sweet chocolate...
, sugar syrup, and/or fondantFondantFondant is one of several kinds of icing-like substance used to decorate or sculpt pastries. The word, in French, means "melting", coming from the same root as "foundry" in English.... - business management skills of marketing and production
Education & training
Generally chocolatiers start out as pastry or confectionery chefs, but anyone can become a chocolatier. Through proper schooling, or possibly self education, one could become a chocolatier. Although, proper training may be necessary to obtain an actual job as a chocolatier or to be considered a master chocolatier. Being a master chocolatier involves perfecting the art of working with chocolate to create not only delicious desserts, but also beautifully and skillfully crafted pieces of art with the chocolate. Generally it takes years of experience and a good background of confections and pastries to master the art of working with chocolate.There are a variety of culinary schools and even specialty chocolate schools, like Ecole Chocolate School in Canada, or The Chocolate Academy, with twelve different schools in the world. The French Culinary Institute
French Culinary Institute
The French Culinary Institute , also known as The International Culinary Center has locations in SoHo, New York City and in the San Francisco Bay Area of California....
also offers pastry and confectionery courses that are said to help a chocolatier learn the trade.
To become a chocolatier one must learn how to make and work with chocolate on different levels to create handcrafted pieces of art that also must taste sensational. Generally schooling consists of learning how to make chocolate from a variety of different origins. Once students learn how to make chocolate and begin to understand the physical and chemical aspects of chocolates they can learn to work with chocolate in many different applications. Chocolate is a versatile food thus different courses offer learning about different techniques when working with chocolate. Once someone becomes well-educated about all of chocolates' applications, or specializes in specific applications of chocolate they may be considered a chocolatier. Often perfecting technical techniques of design and the art of flavor takes many years of practice. Advanced studies can lead to a better understanding of the components of chocolate and how to make chocolates along with sculpting and creating beautiful masterpieces from chocolate.
Competitions
Once a chocolatier has mastered the artistry of chocolate they may be considered a Master Chocolatier. The best of the best can be found competing in The World Chocolate Masters, a chocolate competition that started in 2005. Some of the greatest chocolatiers of today are Naomi Mizuno from Japan, Francisco Torreblanca, master Spanish chocolatier, Pierre Marcolini, Yvonnick Le Maux from France, and Carmelo Sciampagna from Italy. These master chocolatiers are some of the best in the world when it comes to designing and sculpting using chocolate. These master chocolatiers also craft pieces of chocolate with outstanding flavor and texture, said to be the best in the world by some. Chocolatiers must be able to work with chocolate in many different applications tempering, molding, sculpting, and decorating. Chocolate can be made into pieces, incorporated into pastries, or simply designed as a piece of art.2007 World Chocolate Masters Winner: Naomi Mizuno Mizuno, from Japan, took home the title to the World Chocolate Masters competition in 2007. The competition was judged in four different categories, including: molded praline
Praline
Praline is a family of confections made from nuts and sugar syrup.-Europe:As originally inspired in France at the Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte by the cook of the 17th-century sugar industrialist Marshal du Plessis-Praslin , early pralines were whole almonds individually coated in caramelized sugar,...
s, hand-dipped pralines, gastronomic chocolate dessert, small chocolate showpiece, and creative chocolate showpiece. Mizuno, 28 years old, was the youngest competitor ever from his nation. He is employed at a pastry school, Futaba Pastry.
Techniques
Tempering: Tempering chocolate is a heat treatment method performed on chocolate involving heating and cooling the chocolate to result in desired characteristics like shininess of the chocolate or 'snap', the way it breaks. A chocolatier must know how to temper chocolate properly for different applications or temper for chocolate for desired characteristics. Chocolate contains cocoa butterCocoa butter
Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, pure edible vegetable fat extracted from the cocoa bean. It is used to make chocolate, biscuits, and baked goods, as well as some pharmaceuticals, ointments, and toiletries...
which crystallizes during the heat treatment of melting and tempering chocolate. The crystal formation in chocolate can affect many different attributes to the chocolate - mouthfeel
Mouthfeel
Mouthfeel is a product's physical and chemical interaction in the mouth, an aspect of food rheology. It is a concept used in many areas related to the testing and evaluating of foodstuffs, such as wine-tasting and rheology. It is evaluated from initial perception on the palate, to first bite,...
, snap of the chocolate, the color, dull or shiny. Heating the chocolate at certain temperatures, around 86-90 °F, for specific periods of time and then cooling the chocolate and working with, in alternating segments is referred to as tempering. There are machines that can temper chocolate for you, but many chocolatiers use marble slabs and hand-tools to cool the chocolate and work with it.
Molding: Molding is a design technique used in making chocolate pieces that are of a certain shape by taking liquid chocolate and pouring it into a mold and letting it harden. You can go to the WikiHow - Mold Chocolate Candy site to see instructions on how to mold chocolate.
Sculpting: Sculpting is a type of three dimensional artwork, and in the case of a chocolatier, involves using only chocolate to create the piece of artwork. Sculpting may involve using molds and pieces of chocolate, and decorating the piece with designs in chocolate.