Chocolatiers

A chocolatier is a person or company who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients.

Traditionally, chocolatiers, especially in Europe, trained through an apprenticeship with other chocolatiers. Today, it is equally common to start out as pastry or confectionery chefs, or attend culinary training specifically for working with chocolate. 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. Chocolatiers must understand the physical and chemical aspects of chocolate, to not only create chocolates and other confections, but also to create sculptures and center pieces. Perfecting the technical aspects of design and the developing the art of flavor takes many years of practice.

There are a variety of culinary schools and even specialty chocolate schools, such as the Ecole Chocolate school in Canada, and The Chocolate Academy, with twelve schools worldwide. The French Culinary Institute also offers pastry and confectionery courses that are said to help a chocolatier learn the trade.

Programs of study at such institutions can include topics like:

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 pralines, 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.

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