Category Archives: Industry News

The hot trend of aerated chocolate, recently adopted by giant chocolate maker Hershey’s, has found it’s way to the U.S.  But how do you incorporate those beautifully uniform bubbles into your own chocolate?

Why Aerate Chocolate?

It depends on who you ask, but, in general, the benefits can include the added texture, change in flavor, increased profit margin (a plus with the rising prices of cocoa), or calorie cutting.  The aeration process alters the taste of the chocolate, and it becomes an entirely new medium to explore, albeit a challenging one.  According to Stephen Beckett, a former researcher for Nestlé, “If you aerate [chocolate], it tends to be creamier. Its density is so low it melts very easily, and gives you a different taste.” As for increasing profits, when you aerate using carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide, the overall chocolate density can be up to half of what it normally would be.  Chocolatiers are able to adjust the amount of bubbles, and the size of bubbles–depending on the process, and to achieve just the right amount of lightness in the chocolate.

The Fundamentals of Aerating Chocolate

Chocolatiers will approach this challenge differently, but the fundamentals of aerated chocolate tend to be the same. Here are some tips for creating smaller batches of aerated chocolate without the use of professional aeration equipment, which can cost several thousand dollars.

1. Temper Chocolate
2. Add Cocoa Butter for additional fluidity
3. Charge Chocolate in a Whipped Cream Siphon
4. Dispense into Molds

This method creates a chocolate foam that sets, trapping all the bubbles in a network of crystallized cocoa butter. An optional step is to make a vacuum-set foam by placing the freshly foamed chocolate in a vacuum container. By offsetting the ambient pressure, the function of a vacuum, the bubbles will expand, creating a much lighter texture in the finished chocolate.

This year’s New York Chocolate show will take place Thursday, November 10 through Sunday, November 13, 2011 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City.

The New York Chocolate Show is completely dedicated to chocolate and is the largest show of it’s kind in the United States. Appropriately held in the chocolate hub of North America, the event will bring together more than 65 fine chocolate companies presenting an array of fine chocolates and chocolate-inspired products to spread excitement throughout the chocolate community. The show also features book signings, cooking demonstrations, time with renowned chocolatiers and pastry chefs, and fun activities for children in the “Kid Zone”.

For tickets and more information visit the Official Site of the New York Chocolate Show

All Things Baking 2011 will be held October 2nd – 4th at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center just outside Chicago, in Schaumburg, Illinois.

About the Show

All Things Baking is a new trade show dedicated to baking, featuring focused education, hands-on demonstrations and all the latest products and services to keep baking and food service professionals competitive, profitable and ahead of consumer trends. This completely reinvented marketplace represents all the things industry professionals have wanted in a baking event, all in one convenient location.

Content from the Official Website

Attendee Sampling

Professional bakers, caterers, restaurateurs, pastry chefs, cake decorators, chocolatiers, bakery directors, supermarket purchasing directors and other culinary and food service professionals.

Product Sampling

Baking equipment, bakeware and molds, decorating supplies, ingredients, flavorings, merchandising supplies, packaging materials, preparation tools, technology, business services and more.

Exhibitor Sampling

Bakon USA Food Equipment, Bakery Crafts, Caravan Ingredients, Dawn Foods, Colborne Foodbotics, Danisco USA, DeoPac, Demarle Inc., King Arthur Flour, Rondo Inc., ToolBox Software North America Inc. and more.

For information on the event and attendance visit the Official Site of All Things Baking 2011

The 2nd Annual StarChefs.com International Pastry Competition will be held October 1–4, 2011 New York City, NY at the 6th Annual StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress, October 1–4 in New York City.

For the competition, 20 star chefs will compete. This year’s competitors are a chosen group of international and U.S. pastry chefs. The grand prize? A stage in a top pastry kitchen.

As was introduced in last year’s competition, the competition format emphasizes courses of plated desserts, specifically designed in favor of the fine-dining restaurant pastry chef. Rather than building traditional showpieces, the competition focuses on elements critical to the execution of a well-rounded dessert menu: pre-dessert, plated dessert, bonbons, chocolate centerpiece, and entremets.

Read on for more details from the official StarChefs.com website:

The competitors make their pastry magic happen on the ICC Main Stage while Congress attendees look on. Bad boy Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini of Jean Georges in New York and a judge on “Top Chef: Just Desserts” will be the official Executive Pastry Chef of the competition; guest judges include Pierre Hermé, David Burke, François Payard, Claudia Fleming, Elizabeth Falkner, Ron Paprocki, Curtis Duffy and Jeffrey Steingarten of Vogue. Dishes are evaluated on presentation, execution, creativity, taste, and theme.

Pastry Competitors

Name	Restaurant
Joseph Baker	Omni Hotel
Antonio Bachour	Trump Soho and W South Beach
Bettina Clair	Blue Hill Tavern
Dana Cree	formerly of Alinea
Kymberli DeLost	Japonais
Christopher Ford	Rogue 24
Meg Galus	Park Hyatt Chicago
Ian Gresik	Drago Centro
Manabu Inoue	Morimoto NYC
Christina Kaelberer	Market by Jean Georges
Jiho Kim	L’Espalier
Vanarin Kuch	Tiny Boxwoods
Chris Leung	Bootsie’s
Rory MacDonald	Dram
John Park	Lukshon
Ramon Perez	David Myers Group
Katie Rosenhouse	David Burke
Max Santiago	The One Group andSTK
Vera Tong	Buddakan
Jennifer Yee	Breslin Bar & Dining Room

 

Alternate Pastry Competitors

Name	Restaurant
Cicely Austin	The Oval Room, Ardeo/Bardeo, and The Bombay Club
Luisa DeGirolamo	Piping Rock Club

 

Pastry Chef Jashmine Corpuz of Drago Centro

What is the StarChefs.com International Pastry Competition?

• An original, three-day pastry competition designed to showcase the creativity of the most talented pastry chefs in the industry
• 20 pastry chefs compete for the chance to win the grand prize (a stage in a top pastry kitchen)

Pre-competition, October 1: Pastry training and prep for Round 1

Round 1, October 2: Pre-dessert competition

Round 2, October 3: Plated dessert competition

Round 3, October 4: Finalists create three corresponding chocolate desserts, each showcasing a different technique

The first and second days of the competition are elimination rounds, culminating in three finalists on the Main Stage during the last day of the ICC. Each of the three competition rounds will be judged based on criteria specific to the items being created and presented that day.

Round 1: 20 chefs compete for 10 spots to advance to Round 2.

Round 2: 10 chefs compete for three finalist spots and prizes and advance to the final round.

Round 3: 1 pastry chef wins the grand prize.

Prizes

Grand Prize:

• $5,000 and an invitation to teach a 5-Star Pastry Series Seminar with media promotion, including airfare, stipend, and accommodations near the PreGel Professional Training Center in North Carolina. Presented by PreGel
• $5,000 voucher to be used toward the purchase of any piece of Bravo equipment, presented by Bravo
• VIP pass to attend 3 days of free classes at the Cacao Barry Training Center
• A Baxter Hybrid Convection Oven
• Opportunity to be a judge at the 2012 StarChefs.com International Pastry Competition
• Profile on StarChefs.com

Round Two Finalists:
Each of the three chefs who move on to the final round will receive the following prizes:

• $3,000 voucher to be used toward the purchase of any piece of Bravo equipment, presented by Bravo
• $2,000 voucher to be used toward the purchase of any piece of Carpigiani equipment, presented by Carpigiani
• Hobart N50 5-quart mixer, presented by Hobart
• Waring Commercial Combination Food Processor with LiquiLock^™ Seal System – Model WFP14SC, presented by Waring
• Traveler “Culinarist” Tote, presented by Trannon Culinary
• Profile on StarChefs.com

Round One Finalists:
Each of the 10 chefs who move on to round 2 will receive the following prizes:

• Waring Commercial Spice Grinder- Model WSG30, presented by Waring

A separate demonstration kitchen will be available to continuing competitors on days one and two for their mise-en-place between elimination rounds.

The 2011 Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo will be held August 28-30 at the San Diego Convention Center in sunny San Diego, California. The Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo (also known as the Western Food Show) is the exclusive event in California serving the restaurant and foodservice industry. The event will be a engaging collection of exhibitors, seminars, and networking for all culinary professionals interested in learning focused strategies and techniques to expand business and product lines for current customers and new prospects. The expo is a great place to see what’s trending now in the industry and how you might incorporate hot trends into your line of work.

Event Times

Sunday, August 28
10:00 am- 5:00 pm

Monday, August 29
11:00 am- 5:00 pm

Tuesday, August 30
11:00 am- 4:00 pm

Expo Highlights

We’ve taken a snapshot of the event’s highlights that you won’t want to miss from the event’s official website.

What are some of the Show highlights?

New Product Gallery: See the latest never before seen products that you won’t want to miss at the show.
Multi Unit Operator Alliance: Find solutions to the specific business challenges of multi-unit operators, plus get complimentary exhibit hall entrance and featured conference session registrations.
Solutions Center: This hub on the show floor will feature education trends, consultants to answer your operations questions, food and beverage tastings and new products and solutions.
International Tasting Arena: Taste exotic new flavors and discover specialty items while you meet with product creators and distributors.
Show Specials: Get great deals and free samples, and enter exciting prize drawings and sweepstakes.
The Ultimate Barista Challenge® USA: Watch professional baristi prepare their signature beverages and compete for a spot in the March Grand Finale in NYC

This year’s National Showpiece Championship will be held Sunday, August 28th from 8:00am–2:00pm in Atlanta, Georgia at The Retreat at Perimeter Summit. The National Showpiece Championship takes a different–more relaxed, and less time-consuming–approach to the competitive side of your typical industry event in hopes to alleviate some of the difficulties often posed by other competitions. The goal is for top-level chefs to be able to compete at the highest-level without having to sacrifice an incredible about of time, money, or resources.

Competition Basics

Six pairs of chefs will each select chocolate or sugar for the team showpiece. All team leaders must have won a medal or best in show at a major pastry competition in order to be eligible for this competition. The single teammate can be chosen by the team leader without restrictions on prior recognition or experience.

Teams will be have 6 hours to prepare their showpiece, competing for recognition and over $5,000 in cash and prizes. The winning showpiece will earn its team the title of National Showpiece Champions.

Meet the Teams

Team
Team 1 Andy Chlebana & Nancy Carey
Team 2 Tracy DeWitt & David Smoake
Team 3 Heather Hurlbert & Natasha Capper
Team 4 Yoni Morales & Alfredo Rueda
Team 5 Jim Mullaney & David Ramirez
Team 6	TBA

The competition is quick and intense, requiring the utmost concentration and display of skill.

Find the winners on the TechnoBake blog. We’ll post and comment as soon as they are announced. The best of luck to all the competitors! Find our more about the competition at the official website.

Are You Ready To Cast, Pull, and Blow Your Mind Away?  If you are, please join us in Atlanta on August 26th-28^th at the first Pastry Live National Showpiece Championship and Seminars.  Technobake is proud to announce that we are an official sponsor of Pastry Live 2011.  Learn the latest sugar, chocolate, and cake decorating techniques from the very talented Stéphane Tréand, Jean Marie Auboine, and Susan Notter.  Complete this amazing weekend by watching several pastry chefs compete in the sugar- chocolate showpiece, chocolatier of the year, and cake decorating competitions.  This is a pastry event you do not want to miss!

For information and specific details please click on the following link http://www.pastrylive.com/

Convention Overview

The International Cake Exploration Societé 36th Annual Convention, August 4-7th, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Charlotte Convention Center. All levels, from expert and novice cake decorators to cake enthusiasts, are welcome to attend the four-day event, packed with demonstrations, exhibitions, hands-on classes and international vendors. The annual event brings together thousands of sugar artists every year and is the premier cake decorators’ event of the year. The convention is a celebration of talent, artistry, and innovation with opportunities for sharing your craft and learning from and networking with other artists and industry professionals.

A Note on Personalizing Your Style

As cake decorators and sugar artists, you spend so much time on selecting the perfect colors and paying attention to the smallest details to create your masterpieces, so wouldn’t it be nice if dressing yourself were so simple? We thought you might say that.

We’d like to take this opportunity to highlight our selection of Clement™ Chef Jackets with C-YOU® piping customizations and matching aprons. C-YOU® is a feature of select Clement™ Chef Jackets that allows you to select from 20 piping colors and placement options to personalize your professional chef jacket.  Shop our collection of C-YOU® Jackets for Women and our C-YOU® Jackets for Men.

Below, we’ve featured the two Clement apron styles with the most color options Cannelle (a waist-only, rectangular apron) and Paprika (a bib apron with adjustable neck) to pair with your C-YOU® Jacket.  Easily see if your C-YOU® piping color selection has a matching apron to go with it.  See the colors below.

C-YOU® Color Chart – 20 Piping Colors – with Matching Aprons
C-YOU Color®	Apron Style
	PAPRIKA	CANNELLE
Black / Noir	Yes	Yes
Charcoal / Anthracite	Yes	Yes
Medium Grey / Souris	-	-
Tan / Taupe	Yes	Yes
Beige / Beige	-	Yes
Caramel / Caramel	Yes	Yes
Coffee / Coffee	Yes	Yes
Chocolate / Chocolat	Yes	-
Mokka / Moka	Yes	Yes
Orange / Orange	Yes	Yes
Kirsch / Kirsch	Yes	-
Cherry / Cerise	-	-
Fuchsia / Fuchsia	-	-
Iris / Iris	Yes	-
Parma / Parme	Yes	-
Steel Grey / Acier	-	Yes
Turquoise / Turquoise	Yes	Yes
Pistachio / Pistache	Yes	Yes
White / Blanc	-	-
Chalk / Craie	-	-

More Information on the ICES Convention

Here is a snippet of information directly from the ICES official Convention website’s Frequently Asked Questions:

Why should I go to an ICES Convention?

The ICES Convention exists solely for YOU, its members. Each year we bring together the best in the sugar arts field for your enjoyment, education, shopping, and social pleasure. ICES was founded on the basis of sharing what we have learned in the sugar arts with each other. Where else can you choose from over 75 demos, all for $7 each? It is a chance for you to take part in an organization made up of others just like you. A chance to get involved, meet new people and maybe learn something new. It’s a time to meet old friends and catch up, see some of the new trends in cake decorating and also a great time for filling in your supplies with all the great things at the vendor’s area.

Do I have to bring a cake?

It is not mandatory for anyone to bring a cake for the Sugar Art Gallery. On the other hand, that is part of what makes the convention so great. People from around the world taking the time and effort to display what they can do, and show new and interesting techniques. Think how much you enjoy going through the Sugar Art Gallery when here? It is a unique experience to see works from other states and countries that you normally would not see, all in one place. So before you think it is too much hassle, please take a look at our traveling with a cake page and see if you can help make it a great Sugar Art Gallery this year.

What is the Cake Hospital?

The Cake Hospital is an on site facility at the convention to help those poor unfortunate cakes (and their owners) that did not weather their travels to the convention well. It stocks icings, colors, tips, and tools in a place specially set aside to help you facilitate repairs to your Cake Room exhibit…

Getting to the Convention

Whether you’re traveling by plane, train, or automobile, Charlotte is one of the most accessible cities in the Southeast–between Washington D.C. and Atlanta. Finding your way to Charlotte is simple from anywhere in the U.S. or the world. Perhaps, the “Queen City” has earned another nickname: “International Gateway to the South.”

This year’s American Culinary Federation National Convention 2011 is being hosted in Texas at the Gaylord Texan near Dallas, from July 22nd–26th.

The convention is a gathering of talent and ideas, where chefs, students and food service professionals have the opportunity to network and earn marks on the business side of the industry. While having the opportunity to experience the cutting-edge trends and technologies of the ever-evolving culinary world through exhibitions, educational seminars, and demonstrations.

Classes span a range of relevant topics from Foie Gras to the Importance of Salt in a course titled “A Brief Guide to Handling the Most Powerful Chemical Agent Ever Wielded by a Creative Culinarian: Salt” taught by none other than the famous Alton Brown. And, a topic near and dear to our hearts, a Hands-on Workshop for Chocolate Work, taught by Richard Cusick of the Chocolate Academy Chicago and Barry Callebaut USA. The 5-day event convention will also feature several competitions including U.S.A.’s Chef of the Year Competition and culminate in traditional fashion with the President’s Grand Ball.

We took some tidbits of information directly from the ACF National Convention website to answer some basic questions. See them below:

What is the ACF National Convention?

The ACF National Convention provides professional development opportunities through informative business seminars, forums, clinics, cutting-edge demonstrations and hands-on workshops. The conference also features a trade show where food service exhibitors showcase their latest culinary products.

ACF’s National Convention is attended by approximately 1,500 culinary professionals and offers culinarians the opportunity to learn about the latest cooking trends and techniques from around the country.

Who attends ACF events?

Chefs from all fields including pastry, restaurants, research, corporate, education and more gather with their peers and suppliers at our regional conference and national convention.

The 2011 Amoretti National Pastry Championships have come to a close, and, after much anticipation, this year’s winners have been announced. Congratulations to all the competitors! Great inspiring work!
Looking for an overview of the competition? Read our “2011 National Pastry Team Championship” blog

Winners – 2011 National Pastry Championships

First Place: Team Wressell – Donald Wressell, Scott Green, & Joshua Johnson

Second Place: Team Gallego – Best Sugar Showpiece – Naomi Gallego, Courtney Goldian, & Amanda Haba

Third Place: Newcomers Team Gonzalez – Best Chocolate Showpiece – Joel Gonzalez, Fabrice Francois Bouet, & Vanessa Bogojel

Sportsmanship Award: Team Padua – Paul John Padua, Herschel C. Harden, & Meegan Lancaster

Want more pictures? View the slideshow. We’re looking forward to next year’s World Pastry Championships 2012. Go Team Wressell!