The 2004 Ten-Best Pastry Chef in America Awards Ceremony
Insitute of Culinary Education---May 3, 2004
Laurent Branlard
Laurent Branlard is executive pastry chef for the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel. A native of France, Branlard is a highly accomplished pastry chef who holds the distinction as a member of the 2002 Team USA World Pastry Championship Team, where they won the title in an intense competition against 11 nations, and a member of a team of three chefs who took the gold medal in the 2001 National Pastry Championship, comprised of 36 of the best pastry chefs in America.
|
|
Jody Klocko
is Chef Chocolatier at Godiva, where he approaches the fine art
of Belgian-style chocolate making with a pastry chef's discipline.
Klocko works alongside Godiva's Master Chocolatier in creating new
products that are innovative and intriguing in terms of ingredients,
flavor, texture and craftsmanship. |
|
Florian Bellanger,
in the military, was given an interestingassignment—he worked
as a pastry chef in the French Military's Officers' Club in French
Guyana. From South America, Bellanger got a job at a Club Med in
Israel. Back in Paris, he perfected hischocolate skills with five
years of tempering, melting, and molding at the chocolate temple
of La Maison du Chocolat. Then he signed on at Fauchon, Paris's
ultimate epicurean épicerie, where he worked side by side
with the celebrated Pierre Hermé. In 1994, Bellanger accepted
the executive chef position at Fauchon's Qatar outpost. But two
years later, he was globe-trotting again. He came to America to
work at Le Bernardin, where his "light and dreamy" desserts
won the heart of former New York Times critic Ruth Reichl. |
Jody Klocko
Florian Bellanger
John Miele
John Miele,
Aureole’s pastry chef, is carrying on the restaurant’s tradition
of creating spectacular desserts. Every plate is a feast for the eyes.
John includes the architectural style of Aureole’s past pastry chefs
in his Warm Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé Cake, Cocoa Crusted Caramel
Mousse, Caramel Ice Cream. Many of his desserts, though convey a clean
presentation, reminiscent of classical French pastry. Tasting of “3”
Apples 3 Ways, Crispin Apple Napolean, Granny Smith Sorbet, and Terrine
of Rome Apple and Caramel Hazelnut Pyramid, Bittersweet chocolate and
Praline are two examples.
His first exposure to professional
cooking was in his senior year in high school where he enrolled in a pastry
class. He was so successful his instructor insisted that he apply to the
Culinary Institute of America. Always eager to acquire more pastry training
and knowledge, John left Aureole in 1999 to hone his skills with renowned
chefs Francois Payard, and Michael London. With them he learned to blend
the dishes of American pastry with the technique of French pastry. After
successfully completing these stages John returned to Aureole, and was
named pastry chef in 2002
David Carmichael
David Carmichael
began his pastry career in high school at the Barefoot Contessa in East
Hampton, New York. For three and one half years David worked hard, beginning
as a dishwasher, and taking advantage of every opportunity to work with
food along the way, gradually moving into the position of pastry chef.
As head of the department after barely one year, David created his own
line of desserts: fruit tarts, chocolate, whatever he desired.
After graduating high school,
David attended the Culinary Institute of America's two-year program for
professionals. Immediately following graduation, David went on to the
following positions:
Le Bernardin, pastry department, four years under the direction of François
Payard.
David followed Chef Payard to Restaurant Daniel where he spent one more
year.
He worked briefly with Eli Zabar, well known for breads and home-style
baked goods, before moving on to become head pastry chef at Sign of the
Dove for one year.
David then became head pastry chef at Lutéce under André
Soltner where he stayed for another year.
Keegan Gerhard
Keegan Gerhard, Executive Pastry Chef at New Orleans’ Windsor Court Hotel has been the technical advisor to the 2001 gold medal winning Team USA, a recipient of the Johnson and Wales 2003 Distinguished Visiting Chef award, and MCs at both the National and World Pastry Team Championship, held annually in Las Vegas.
In Chicago,
Keegan trained under Jacquy Pfeiffer, and has worked in such places as
the Four Seasons Hotel, Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant, The Waldorf
Astoria and the Ritz-Carlton.
Johnny Iuzzini
Johnny Iuzzini,
after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park,
New York, work in the pastry department of the original Daniel on 76th
Street. Three and a half years later, he had mastered all of the dessert
stations and had become Pastry Chef Francois Payard's right-hand-man.
Naturally, when Francois launched his eponymous pastry shop in the summer
of 1997, Johnny joined the opening team and held the position of Sous
Chef at Payard for six months.
Johnny's interest in pastry led
him to Europe where he apprenticed in some of France's finest restaurants
and patisseries, including the famed Ladudée in Paris, and completed
an intensive two-week chocolate course. He returned to the United States
for the debut of Café Boulud in the fall of 1998 and then moved
to 65th Street for the opening of the new Daniel, where he was Executive
Sous Chef for two years, during which time Comité Colbert named
Johnny one of its "Emerging Young Artists" of 2000. In January
of 2001, Daniel Boulud named Johnny Executive Pastry Chef; the combination
of Johnny's talent, enthusiasm and his long-standing working relationship
with Daniel makes him the perfect choice for this position.
Frederic Monti
Frederic Monti's exquisite
pastries and desserts are the results of long years of study at the Pastry
School in Avignon, France and training at the famous Lenotre Restaurant
and Bakery in Paris. As sous chef at Bechart Touget Bakery in Aix-en-Provence,
Monti refined his skills and studied his craft, always seeking the perfection,
taste and innovation that would ultimately win him such praise.
The study also earned Monti the chance to travel across the Atlantic to
New York and land the chef's position at Frederic's Bakery. There Monti
trained with well-known pastry chef Herve Poussot of New York's Le Bernadin.
In 1994, when he was asked to assume the executive pastry chef's position
at the new Brasserie Le Coze in Atlanta, he knew that his lifelong work
had been recognized and rewarded.
Randy Sebastian
Randy Sebastian
is the Executive Pastry Chef at The Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino.
He started his professional career as part of the opening team for the
Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Since then Randy has opened several other Las
Vegas Mega-Resorts to include: MGM Grand, Monte Carlo Resort, Luxor and
New York-New York. Prior to the Rio, Randy was the Executive Pastry Chef
at the world famous Desert Inn Resort & Country Club for 2 years.
A second-generation pastry chef,
he began working with his father when he was eleven years old. The principles
of taste, freshness and simplicity were taught to him by his father and
reinforced by his training under Austrian Chef Eugene Ess, Executive Pastry
Chef for the Mirage Resort & Casino and from Swiss Pastry Chef, Ted
Bozart. . Randy has been trained by some of the best pastry chefs in the
city and has also received formal training from the International School
of Confectionary Arts in Gaithersburg, MD.
Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman
gained experience working at Fauchon, Paris. He describes Paris as the
“grandmother pastry,” and his experience there as “enriching.”
His true calling, however, was in New York City, where Bruno Feldeisen
mentored him at 5757 (The For Season Hotel’s restaurant). Feldeisen
taught him to be true to texture and flavor, and provided the invaluable
lesson that desserts do not have to be overly sweet. Chapman loves
to watch his customers’ faces as they take their first bite into
a dessert that he has created. For the past six years, Chapman has been
at Las Canarias at La Mansion del Rio Hotel, in San Antonio, Texas, where
he has been visited by The James Beard Foundation as well as The Travel
Channel and The TV Food Network.
Was There
click thumbnails to view full-size images
