Chocolatiers arrive at their art from a variety of origins. Some are “born” into a family business and learn the trade from their predecessors. Others arrive from other artistic endeavors such as chef, painter or sculptor. Still others make a step change in their career path as a nurse, attorney, or other non-food profession. Each Chocolatier brings with her/him all of their past experiences, professional and personal, which in some way color their choices as a Chocolatier. Regardless their starting points, however, Chocolatiers all share a passion for the chocolate arts.
Training is vital to the Chocolatier and encompasses not only the basics of chocolate tempering, recipe development and artistic design, but also of safe food handling, packaging and business acumen. As with any vital area, new concepts are constantly emerging in the chocolate arts, and the Chocolatier must stay abreast of these developments.
The constant companion to training is experience; it is not enough to have only “book knowledge” in the chocolate arts. The Chocolatier must invest hours upon hours of practice, experimentation, trial-and-error, and refinement in order to consistently produce fine chocolate confections.
This combination of passion, training and experience enable the Chocolatier to make the proper technical and artistic decisions that produce fine chocolate. How well has the Chocolatier selected her core chocolates and non-chocolate ingredients? How well has the Chocolatier blended his chocolates and ingredients into a finished product? As you bring the chocolate to your nose do you detect a pleasant aroma? When you close your eyes and savor the first bite does the chocolate meet your expectations of what its description and presentation promised? That moment of exquisite pleasure that chocolate lovers experience begins with the Chocolatier.
ARTISTRY AND PRESENTATION
Fine chocolate products such as bonbons, pralines and bars benefit from their presentation, from the shape and finish of the chocolate, to the packaging that contains the chocolate. Molds may be used with fine hand detail work to present pieces that are like small pieces of sculpture. Hand-crafted chocolates with irregular surfaces and a more rustic look also meet the presentation requirement of fine chocolate, especially if such products elicit childhood memories or reflect back to simpler time and place.
Tags: chocolate, chocolate gifts, dark chocolate, fine chocolate
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