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. When Fauchon decided to open a branch of their legendary store in New York, Bellanger rekindled his association, rejoining the company in 2001 to head its 20-pastry-chef team.