Troyes is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about 140 km (87 mi) south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to the Orient Forest Regional Natural Park.
A chocolatier is a person or company who makes confectioneries from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients. They are pastry chefs or confectioners who specialize in chocolate and making chocolate candies. Chocolatiers work artisanally with ready-made chocolate mass and are therefore distinct from industrial chocolate makers.
Meilleur Ouvrier de France is a competition for craftsmen held in France every four years. The winning candidates receive a medal.
A Konditorei is a business that typically offers a wide variety of pastries and typically also serves as a café. Konditoreien (plural) are found in many countries including but not limited to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. In French-speaking countries, similar businesses are referred to as pâtisseries.
Michel Allex was a French chocolatier and politician, the appointed mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône, France since 2002. He was named by Dominique Perben as his replacement when Perben left Chalon-sur-Saône for his duties as a cabinet Minister for Jacques Chirac.
Swiss chocolate is chocolate produced in Switzerland. While cacao beans and other ingredients such as sugar cane originate from outside Switzerland, the actual production of the chocolate must take place in Switzerland. Switzerland's chocolates have earned an international reputation for high quality with many famous international chocolate brands.
Jean-Paul Hévin is a French manufacturer of high-end chocolate, who operates 6 stores in Paris, 11 in Japan, 1 in Hong Kong, and 2 stores in Taipei headquartered in Paris.
Pierre Hermé is a French pastry chef and chocolatier. He began his career at the age of 14 as an apprentice to Gaston Lenôtre. Hermé was awarded the title of World's Best Pastry Chef in 2016 by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. He was also ranked the fourth most influential French person in the world by Vanity Fair. Hermé created his own brand in 1998 with Charles Znaty.
Jean-Philippe Maury is a French pastry chef, who currently owns iDessert in San Diego and oversees two pastry shops aboard a cruise ship.
Philippe Suchard was a Swiss chocolatier, industrialist and entrepreneur. He founded Chocolat Suchard in 1826.
Debauve & Gallais is a French chocolate manufacturer founded by Sulpice Debauve in 1800. After his nephew Antoine Gallais joined the company in 1823, the company adopted their current name. In 1819 the company received the royal warrant as purveyors to the French court, and was the official chocolate supplier for Emperor Napoleon and of kings Louis XVIII, Charles X and Louis Philippe.
Jacques Torres is a French pastry chef and chocolatier based in New York. Torres is a member of the International Culinary Center community as Dean of Pastry Arts, as well as holding pastry demonstrations. He appears on the show Nailed It!.
Kings of Pastry is a film by D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus that follows a group of world-class French pastry chefs as they compete for France's most prestigious craftsmen award: Meilleur Ouvrier de France, awarded by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The competition, which takes place in Lyon, France, features a diverse range of creative trade professions, from carpentry to jewelry design to pastry making. The honor of wearing the blue, white and red striped collar given to the winners is considered to be the ultimate recognition of excellence in the pastry field. The film focuses primarily on Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of Chicago’s French Pastry School, and one of the sixteen finalist chefs competing — the sixteen finalists were selected from eighty semi-finalists during the semi-final rounds that took place in the months prior to the final competition.
Yves Thuriès is a French cooking and pastry chef, twice Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
Christophe Michalak is a French Master Pâtissier, author and television presenter.
The 2015 World Pastry Cup is an international pastry contest which took place in 25–26 January 2015 in Lyon, France.
Chocolat Jacques is a Belgian firm which was founded in 1896 by Antoine Jacques (1858-1929) in Verviers. Production was later moved to Bruges and Eupen in the east of Belgium, where its headquarters were also located since 1923.
Pierre Marcolini is a Belgian chocolatier born in Charleroi, Belgium, in 1964.
Stéphane Tréand is a French pastry chef from Brignoles, France, Meilleur Ouvrier de France recipient, pastry instructor, and restaurateur residing in California, USA.
Chocolat Suchard was a chocolate factory founded in Serrières by Philippe Suchard in 1826. It was one of the oldest chocolate factories in Switzerland.
