The Festival of Chocolate - List of Events for March 6 and 7, 2010

2010 Schedule of Demonstrations

Saturday March 6^th, 2010:

11:30 am - Chocolate Centerpiece Demo by Chef David Ramirez of Rosen Shingle Creek (45 minutes)

12:30 pm - Tasting of Chocolates - From Bean to Bar by Chocolatier Oliver Kita of Oliver Kita Fine Confections (45 minutes)

1:30 pm - Interactive Presentation on the growth of Cocoa Trees and Pods in South Florida by Dr. Tomas Ayala-Silva, Curator for tropical fruits, sugarcane, and ornamentals at the USDA Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, Miami (45 minutes)

2:30 pm - Making and Tasting Chocolate Caramels and Marshmallows by Chef Donald Wressell, Corporate Pastry Chef of Guittard Chocolate (45 minutes)

3:30 pm - How to Make a Chocolate Weave Basket by Chef Steven Rujak of Sweet and Savory Seasons (45 minutes)

Sunday March 7^th, 2010:

12:30 pm - Spring will unfold as a Masterpiece through Exquisite Chocolate Artistry by Chef Ewald Notter of Notter School of Pastry Arts (45 minutes)

1:30 pm - Creating a Perfect Chocolate Mousse by Chef Jean-Rene Thiery and Staff of Le Cordon Bleu School (45 minutes)

2:30 pm - Tasting of 58%, 72%, 80% and 100% Dark Chocolate from Ecuador by Hoja Verde Dark Chocolate Bars (45 minutes)

3:30 pm - Tasting of a Mexican Chocolate Drink (using old world methods) and Taste, Touch and Smell - Cacao Pod and Beans by Bernie Schaked, Founder of Schakolad Chocolate Factory (45 minutes)

* Demos and Times are Subject to Change

Executive Pastry Chef David Ramirez

Trained at Johnson and Wales in pastry arts, Chef David Ramirez has appeared on the Food Network, worked at five-star properties in Atlanta and Orlando, and was most recently named captain of the 2009 Team USA. As captain of Team USA, Chef Ramirez will lead some of the finest pastry chefs in the internationally acclaimed Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie, aka the World Pastry Cup, competition in Lyon, France. Chef Ramirez has competed against pastry chefs from all over the world and won dozens of awards from American Culinary Foundation competitions.

This self-described “chocoholic” says that no matter where he is — whether strolling the toy aisles of Target with his three kids, attending a black tie event, or visiting Orlando’s amazing theme parks, he views the world through “chocolate-colored glasses”— always wondering how every object he sees could be translated into an edible sculpture. Sweet, but never saccharine, Ramirez’s elaborate chocolate creations reflect his youthful outlook. In fact, he has been known to actually cut apart his kids’ toys in order to make a chocolate mold. The loving dad is always quick to replace what he borrows.

Chocolatier Oliver Kita

Paris trained chocolatier Oliver Kita presents, “ The Chocolate Meditation- from Bean to Bar”- a pictorial chocolate journey- of the harvesting of cacao, to the manufacturing of chocolate, this lecture opens with a beginners guided mediation using chocolate taste as the focal point, and is completed with a visual tour of the chocolate shops of Paris. A fun, lively and upbeat two hour event for anyone who loves chocolate. Includes a tasting of four geographies of chocolate: Madagascar, Venezuela, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.

Oliver Kita also answers audience questions about fair trade, organic, and explains how to taste chocolate and demystifies the “70% label”. Chocolatier Oliver Kita has presented lectures locally at the Culinary Institute of America, Boscobel Rostoration and Mohonk Mountain House, his chocolates have been presented on NBC’s “Today Show”, highlighted in ”The Wine Spectator, In-Style Magazine, and found on Vogue and Bon Appetite on line “.

Dr. Tomas Ayala-Silva of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dr. Ayala Silva is responsible for the curation of all germplasm collections at The National Germplasm Repository (NGR), Subtropical Horticultural Research Station, Miami, FL (~210 acres). The repository holds the U.S. clonal collections of mango, avocado, banana, annonas, cacao, sugarcane (over 1350 accession) and related grasses, palms, Tripsacum, and a few other relatively minor tropical crops (carambola, longan, litchee, tamarind) and tropical/subtropical woody and Herbaceous ornamentals.

The primary goals of his work is to collect, identify, evaluate, maintain, utilize, preserve, and distribute important clonal germplasm for designated tropical fruits, sugarcane, and ornamental crops.

Objective 1: Introduction or locally select and maintain living collections of tropical/subtropical germplasm with economic potential for the tropical and subtropical areas of the Continental and Insular U.S.

Objective 2: Multiply and preserve virus and disease-free clones of tropical/subtropical germplasm by grafting, air-layering, and tissue culture under aseptic laboratory conditions for its safe exchange and distribution.

Executive Pastry Chef Donald Wressell

Donald Wressell is the pastry chef of the San Francisco based Guittard Chocolate Company. A graduate of the Washington State Chef Association Culinary Program, his extensive experience includes positions at high-profile hotels like the Westin Seattle, the Watergate in Washington, DC, and the Breakers Hotel in Long Beach, CA.

After working as assistant pastry chef at the Four Seasons Philadelphia, he was named executive pastry chef of the Four Seasons Los Angeles, a position he held for close to 20 years.

Donald's numerous honors and awards include Pastry Art & Design's Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America (1998 and 1999), silver and gold medal victories in the Grand Salon Culinaire (2003), and winner of second-place honors in Les Masters du Chocolat competition (1995). Donald has competed four times in Le Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie (World Cup of Pastry), the legendary culinary competition held biannually in Lyon, France. As captain, he led the U.S. team to bronze victories in 1995 and 2005. In 2001, as team coach and manager, he guided the U.S. team to a historic gold medal win, the first ever by an American team. Donald was named Pastry Chef of the Year by the National Pastry Team Championships in 2005.

His many television appearances over the years include: "The Roseanne Show," "ET," "Access Hollywood," "Good Morning America," and "Chuck Henry’s Travel Cafe." Look for him on Food Network in the Challenge series as well as in fascinating documentaries on the Coupe du Monde and Pastry Team Championships

Executive Pastry Chef Steven Rujak

Chef Steven A. Rujak is originally from Weirton West Virginia where he graduated with his A.A.S. degree in Culinary Arts, from West Virginia Northern Community College.

Steven last worked at Universal Studios Orlando for ten years as the assistant Pastry chef.

Currently he is beginning his ninth year at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando where he is the Executive Sous Chef / Executive Pastry Chef. Chef Steven also is a professor at Valencia Community College and has been for eleven years, “I like giving back to the community what I have learned, and I enjoy showing people how effortless it can be to create elaborate cakes and pastries in the comfort of your own home,” exclaims Steven. He has been a member of the A.C.F. Central Florida Chapter for several years, and has competed numerous times in Pastry and hot food categories, receiving gold and silver medals, placing “Best of Show,” and “Most Original.”

Among his other accolades he was named “Southeast regional pastry chef of the year” 2006, and competed at the A.C.F. National convention in Philadelphia, and was awarded the distinctive, “National Pastry Chef of the year. 2006.”

Another of his greatest accomplishments is his two children, Ethan 5 and Hailey 2, and with the support of his wife Keitha, whom he says could not do any of this with out her love and devotion.

Chef Rujak is currently publishing a series of books entitled “Sweet and Savory Seasons, with Steven Rujak “, as well as launching an interactive web site showcasing his love and Passion for Pastry. Check out his website: www.sweetandsavoryseasons.com.

Master Pastry Chef Ewald Notter

Ewald Notter was born in Switzerland and trained at Confiserie Sprüngli in Zurich with Chef Willy Pfund, an authority in working in sugar. During this training, Notter became interested in pulling and blowing sugar. This hobby soon became his passion, and as a result, Notter has become renowned as a master of this craft.

Considered to be a leading expert in modern day confectionery arts he is also known well known as a competitor and teacher. He was the first pastry professional inductee into the Pastry Art and Design Hall of Fame by Pastry Art and Design and Chocolatier magazines. In 1999, Notter won the gold medal at the first Beaver Creek Team Competition with T. Dubois. In 2000, Ewald repeated this victory with Pfeiffer and Canonne. That same year, Notter was awarded "National Pastry Team Champion." He was also honored as Pastry Chef of the Year and qualified to compete as part of the United States National Team in Lyon, France. Notter placed first in this competition, scoring 699 out of 700 points for sugar and thereby helping the United States Team achieve its first Gold Medal.

Since he stopped competing, Ewald has been consulting and judging numerous prestigious sugar and chocolate competitions and continues to be active in the artistic field. In 2003, Ewald was honored from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences with the 5 Star Diamond award as "One of the Finest Confectionery Chefs of the World."

Ewald is co-owner of the Notter School of Pastry Arts in Orlando, FL.

Chef Instructor Patisserie & Baking Jean-Rene Thiery of Le Cordon Bleu
Pastry Chef Instructor Jean-Rene Thiery

Chef Thiery came to the Le Cordon Bleu school with not only a gift, but great experience in the world of Patisserie and Baking.

Prior to accepting his position as Chef Instructor here at Orlando Le Cordon Bleu he taught Pastry and Cuisine at the Culinary Institute in Houston, Texas. He was also a Chef Instructor at the Institute de Formation Aux Métiers in Carros, France.

His industry experience includes such places as La Louisiane Bakery in New Orleans, The French Touch in Birmingham, Alabama, Paviphon Croisette in Cannes, France and Apix in Sartoux, France.

His formal training was in the French Republic at the Chamber of Trades of Calvados where he was awarded a Certificate of Mastery as a Pastry Cook and Confectioner.

Master Chocolatier Baruch "Bernie" Schaked

Master Chocolatier Baruch 'Bernie' Schaked

Baruch Schaked, has been a chocolate maker since 1969. He began his career as a chocolatier in Argentina while working for his father-in-law, Gustavo Bar, who was the owner of one of South America’s largest chocolate factories. Mr. Schaked traveled extensively throughout Europe to participate in courses and seminars at prestigious schools where he mastered the art of chocolate making. His education and passion paid off in the form of numerous first place awards for his scrumptious, handmade truffles at the world-renown Fontainebleau Chocolate Festival. And, that is just the beginning of the story. The Schaked`s chocolate adventure really got started when Baruch Schaked announced that he was selling his chocolate shop in South Florida in order to retire. His son, Edgar, determined to keep the family’s passion alive, scrapped his engineering career to continue the family legacy. In 1995, the first Schakolad Chocolate Factory opened in Winter Park, Florida. In 1999, Schakolad began franchising their unique system, creating national and international awareness as the producers of fine quality chocolates using only the highest quality ingredients.

Baruch Schaked began writing “Viva Chocolate” as an educational Chocolate Information manual for his stores -- a sort of Master Chocolatier’s pocket guide to the art of chocolate from the bean to the bar. What he soon realized was that although the general public is inundated with books on chocolate recipes and preparation, they too wanted a simple, yet detailed overview of the pure chocolate making process. After multiple speaking engagements covering this topic, he decided to address the public’s thirst for knowledge in his widely acclaimed comprehensive chocolate guidebook…“Viva Chocolate.”

Attention Chocoholics!!