The National Chocolate & Dessert Show announced the lineup of world-class pastry chefs and industry leaders who will offer expert insights and actionable tips for the trade show’s conference programming known as The Material Handling Conference 1.0: The Indispensable Pastry Chef. Curated by Dessert Professional magazine and JMPurePastry, these industry insider seminars will provide attendees with ways to elevate their chocolate and dessert programs on every level.
Foodie consumers will also have an opportunity to learn along industry insiders at select conferences, gaining professional knowledge on top tips for pursuing a pastry chef competition career, how to take professional grade food photographs with various devices, and experiencing an interactive chocolate presentation featuring exploration and preservation of the world’s cacao.
Highlights from the conference programming lineup include:
· Material Handling with JMPurePastry
Renowned pastry chef Jimmy MacMillan (formerly of Avenues at The Peninsula and University Club of Chicago) will work alongside special guest chefs to teach aspiring pastry professionals a number of ways to elevate their work, including:
o Gelato Tech for the Restaurant Chef with special guest chef Patrick Fahy (Sixteen at Trump Hotel Chicago): Two of the most respected pastry chefs in the country give a lesson in frozen elegance, demonstrating how to create perfect gelato in numerous ways and how to build gelato into a composed dessert.
Sunday, October 20, 10 a.m. in Classroom 1
o Preserves In and Out of Season with special guest chef Meg Galus (NoMi at Park Hyatt): Learn how to translate farmer’s market finds into jams, jellies, tarts, bakery items, and plated dessert from two chefs passionate about local and sustainable fruits.
Monday, October 21, 10 a.m. in Classroom 1
o Ganaches – Spirits, Juices & Puree with special guest chef Thomas Raquel (Acadia): These renowned chefs will teach how to achieve clear, focused, intense flavors by swapping the fat in your bonbons for wine, pomegranate juice, or apricot puree. Sample fresh, dairy-free confections like White Chocolate with Passion Fruit and Apricot, Cabernet Temptation, and Blood Orange Pomegranate.
Tuesday, October 22, 9 a.m. in Classroom 1
· Everyone Loves Chocolate Truffles
Join legendary pastry chef Stanton Ho for a seminar on chocolate truffle making using Truffly Made’s labor-saving, high-tech silicone molds. Chef Ho will demonstrate easy and cost-effective methods to create and serve world-class, hand-made truffles in your restaurant using a variety of chocolates from Casa Luker.
Sunday, October 20, 10 a.m. in Classroom 2
· Winning Secrets of a Chocolate Champion: Tips and Techniques of Dessert Competition from Andy Chlebana*
Pastry chefs interested in pursuing competition careers will learn how to read the rule book to win, what judges look for, and other top tips from veteran dessert competitor Andy Chlebana (Pastry Team USA, Food Network Challenge winner, Dessert Professional magazine Top 10 Pastry Chef).
Sunday, October 20, 12 p.m. in Classroom 1
· Be a Part of ChocoHistory!*
Join world-renowned explorers Daniel and Linda Rice Lorenzetti (ImageExpedition.com) at their first-ever interactive chocolate presentation as they share about their mission to save and document the world’s cacao. Be a part of the launch of their Interactive Chocolate App by sharing your professional knowledge after their presentation.
Sunday, October 20, 12 p.m. in Classroom 2
· Chocolate Creations by Top Ten Chocolatier Frederic Loraschi
Presented by Cacao Barry
Crafting amazing chocolate bon-bons begins with learning the best techniques and selecting your ideal chocolate and the equipment to create them. Whether you are new to the business or an industry veteran, let Top Ten Chocolatier Frederic Loraschi show you the way to confection success.
Monday, October 21, 10 a.m. in Classroom 2
· Dessert Cocktail Hour: Profit in a Glass
Profitable by themselves, alcohol and dessert make a potent combination that sets bar menus apart. Experienced chefs and mixologists will work side-by-side to show how to produce customer-pleasing creations that add to the bottom line.
Monday, October 21, 12 p.m. in Classroom 1
· The Indispensable Pastry Chef: A Personal Branding Workshop
Whether you are looking to create a new personal brand, rebrand your existing persona, or extend your current brand to new products and services, this workshop with Lauren Young (two-time award-winning author, CEO and founder of Freshly Baked Communications) will give you the knowledge and tools you need to present yourself in a positive light and become influential, irreplaceable, and most importantly, indispensable.
Monday, October 21, 12 p.m. in Classroom 2
· The Cheese Course: Profit on a Platter
Adding or updating cheese offerings can also help sell more dessert, spirits, coffee, and tea. Learn from cheese expert Alyssa Stone (Marion Street Cheese Market) how to construct and implement a well-conceived and cost-conscious cheese program to enhance menus and add value to restaurants.
Tuesday, October 22, 11 a.m. in Classroom 1
· Food Photography for Chefs*
Presented by Dessert Professional
One picture is worth a thousand clicks on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and the thousands of online file-sharing websites and services. Learn tips and techniques to photograph your chocolates and desserts for maximum exposure with your hi-res smartphone camera, point-and-shoot, or SLR.
Tuesday, October 22, 11 a.m. in Classroom 2
