Jacques Torres
Jacques Torres, known as "Mr. Chocolate", is a master pastry chef. Torres is a prominent member of the The International Culinary Center community, as Dean of Pastry Arts as well as holding pastry demonstrations.[1]
Biography
Jacques Torres was born on June 14, 1959 in Algiers and grew up in Bandol, a fishing village in the South of France.[2][3] When Torres was 15 years old, he began an apprenticeship at a small pastry shop and completed his apprenticeship requirements in two years, graduating first in his class. In 1980, he began working with two-star Michelin chef, Jacques Maximum at the Hotel Negresco. During that time, Torres also attended culinary school to earn a Master Pastry Chef degree. Next he taught pastry courses at a culinary school in Cannes from 1983-1986.[4] In 1986, Torres was the youngest person to ever win the Meilleur Ouvrier Patissier de France competition.<ref name="NYT "One Chef's"">Fabricant, Florence (5 July 1989). "One Chef's Successes". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2011.</ref> Torres moved to the United States, and in 1988 he served as the Corporate Pastry Chef for the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company before moving on to Le Cirque, where he worked for 11 years as Executive Pastry Chef.[4] Torres joined the faculty of the International Culinary Center in 1993, and after designing the Classic Pastry Arts Curriculum in 1996, he became the school’s Dean of Pastry Arts.[5] In 2000, Torres left Le Cirque to open a chocolate factory and retail shop in Brooklyn, NY. Currently there are seven Jacques Torres shops, including two chocolate factories and an ice cream shop.[4][6]
In 2007, Jacques Torres married chocolatier Hasty Khoei, who formerly worked under Torres in his chocolate factory. Mrs. Torres owns a chocolate shop, Madame Chocolat, in Beverly Hills, California.[7]
Achievements
- Chef Torres has won numerous awards, including the James Beard Foundation Pastry Chef of the Year, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, the Chefs of America Pastry Chef of the Year, and Chartreuse Pastry Chef of the Year.
- He is a member of the Académie Culinaire de France, and in 2003 the James Beard Foundation inducted him into the Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.
- Chef Torres is the author of two Dessert Circus books, and the host of the Food Network TV show Chocolate with Jacques Torres.
- In 2004 he opened his chocolate factory and second retail location in Manhattan, Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven.
- On May 13, 2010 Torres, along with culinary chefs from the French Culinary Institute (now known as The International Culinary Center), Jacques Pepin, Alain Sailhac and André Soltner, prepared a $30,000-per-couple dinner for U.S. President Barack Obama’s fund-raiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at Manhattan’s St. Regis hotel.[8]
References
- ↑ http://replay.web.archive.org/20090615200332/http://www.frenchculinary.com/aboutus_faculty.htm
- ↑ Louie, Elaine (12 May 2002). "Possessed; A Confection for a Chocolatier: Two Wheels, East River Views". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ Cazenueve, Brian (22 December 2004). "All Chocolate, No Oompa-Loompas". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Jacques Torres". American Immigration Law Foundation. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ "Chef Jacques Torres". Chef2Chef. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ "Jacques Torres". The French Culinary Institute. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ Dougherty, Margot. "Tout Sweet". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ↑ "Holiday shopping: Tips to find the best deals on Cyber Monday 2010". Daily News (New York).
External links
- Interview with Mr. Torres
- Mr. Chocolate
- The French Culinary Institute
- The New York Times
- Video of Jacques Torres on YouTube