Jacque Torres: Master Chocolatier

Well-known as a consummate outstanding pastry authority, Jacques Torres is famous for his zeal for chocolate, a passion that has thrust him into the spotlight shared by other luminary chefs. He was born in Algiers and brought up in Bandol on the Riviera, France. Torres’s gravitation towards pastry began at early in life, when he dared his gastronomic mind with a trainee responsibility at a French bakery (Culinary Schools n.pag.). Since then, the chocolatier did not turn back on a career that currently includes profound recognition as an entrepreneur, writer and dean of students. At the peak of his career, Torres has involved in numerous ventures which include passing the baton to the next age group as a mentor (Culinary Schools n.pag.).

Training

Torres had an opportunity to train in pastry apprenticeship in La Frangipane, a bakery shop in France, for a period of two years. Thereafter, Torres worked in the kitchen in Nice, France, at the famed Hotel Negrosco (Culinary Schools n.pag.). He meticulously continued to master his craft in pastry, eventually earning a degree as Master Pastry Chef. Meanwhile, as he continued to build his career, Torres was also involved in training students on baking skills. Apparently, this quest later came back into his professional life (Culinary Schools n.pag.).

Specialty

Torres specializes in creating confections that range from upscale chocolate puffs to Champaign truffles. Additionally, Torres designs chocolate delicacies, producing chocolates himself, directly from cocoa beans (Culinary Schools n.pag.). As a result, Torres is well known in the luxury chocolate market. As a chocolatier, Torres understands the history of chocolates, techniques of cultivating, processing, tempering, sculpting, decorating, dipping, and molding a chocolate together with its flavors and textures. Moreover, he has great production and marketing management skills.

Fame

Torres is largely famous for establishing the Food Network, which is as a result of his long appearance as the host of Chocolate with Jacques Torres(Culinary Schools n.pag.). Torres is also a consistent personality on TV, an issue that surely excites chocolate enthusiasts who also cherish his appearance with Julia Child in the series Julia Child’s Master Chefs(Culinary Schools n.pag.). Torres is also famous for designing the celebrated New York City French Culinary Institute’s Pastry Arts program(Witherspoon & Meehan 277-281). He does not only serve as an instructor at the school but also as the Dean of Pastry Arts (Culinary Schools n.pag.).

Accomplishments

Torres has been given recognition as the Pastry Chef of the Year by a number of cookery organizations that include James Beard Foundation. In 2003, Torres was in the Foundation’s Who’s Who in Food and Beverage in America. As a matter of fact, he has prepared a meal for the President of the United States, Barrack Obama. As a writer, Chef Torres wrote the book A Year in Chocolate and Desert Circus (Culinary Schools n.pag.). The book basically features renowned recipes in his profession as a pastry chef. He is also involved in a TV series that presents creating masterpieces in the view of the public (Culinary Schools). Additionally, he wrote the book, Dessert Circus at Home. The book is instrumental in empowering home bakers to augment their production to an epicurean level (Culinary Schools n.pag.).

Secrets of Uniqueness

Torres stands out from the rest chocolatiers by the fact that he is renowned for his famous molten chocolate fondant, and that he was the youngest chef to win the esteemed title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Culinary Schools n.pag.). Torres is neither fat nor skinny, and he has gone beyond to become a chocolate maker. His Chocolate Haven is one of the very few chocolate manufacturers. Great chefs saw the unique potential in Jacques Torres, and this was practically revealed after his numerous awards (Culinary Schools n.pag.).