Gourmet

Are you a pastry chef looking to hit the big time? Tired of eating commercial-brand chocolate that’s just a tad too sweet for your taste? Interested in making your own chocolate-based works of art? Want to start your own outlet for making and selling gourmet chocolates? Why not take that first step into becoming a world-renowned chocolatier!

Essentially differing from a chocolate maker, chocolatiers are the industry’s primary artists. Using their extensive knowledge of chocolate and the chocolate making process, chocolatiers are trained to create delectable confectionery as well as those eye-catching chocolate sculptures often seen in major culinary events and trade shows. While chocolate makers are responsible for mixing the ingredients necessary to make chocolate, chocolatiers push the craft to another level and taking chocolate and turning it into their own individual art form.

Like with any gourmet trade, chocolatiering is a specialized craft requiring years of training and experience to hone skills and make a mark in the industry. Greatness in the industry may come with experience and training, but if you are looking to get your foot in the door and get started, you have come to the right place.

There are a number of professional chocolate-making schools all over North America , including prestigious institutions such as the Matisse Chocolate Academy in Englewood, New Jersey; the L.A. Burdick Chocolate School in Walpole, New Hampshire; Chocolate Making Courses at Vancouver Community College in Vancouver, B.C. Each offers its own unique take on the artistry of chocolate. In the middle of a career or raising a family? You can take your chocolatier courses online or through correspondence learning from institutions like the Professional Chocolatier Program from the Ecole Chocolat professional school of chocolate arts. Traditional courses may last from anywhere between 3 months to a year while correspondence courses may take anywhere from 1 month to 4 months.

Instruction in chocolatier training usually begins with an overview of chocolate, including its physiology and the process of making it before moving on to chocolate tempering by hand. It is safe to assume that chocolatier schools will assume that their students have not had any previous training in the craft. After picking up the basics, a chocolatier in training is taught more technical aspects of the craft. Lessons in chocolate chemistry and more advanced recipes like chocolate truffles and ganache and working with more expensive ingredients like fondant and sugar syrups will be taught as well as flavor combinations and chocolate-dipped food items.

It is through these various courses and classes that chocolatiers will gain the necessary background and experience making, tempering and working with chocolate so as for them to start making their own delectable creations in their kitchens. The trade is an exciting one, with new chocolatiers coming up with new flavor combinations and technical innovations, pushing the limits of confectionery design and conceptualization to greater heights. It is an exciting time to be a chocolatier. Try out a few classes and get involved in the growing art of chocolatiering!