Happy Holiday!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

   Gingerbread House Workshop Photos Christmas 2014

  

  Happy holidays to everyone!  I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful New Year and give you a brief update. A brief update will be a challenge though, as I have been really busy these past six months.  

   I am teaching culinary classes through Robin Art Chocolate.  I offer both, sweet and savory menus.  Classes are limited to 6 to 8 students.  We have had such a great time.  My class schedule is now listed on my website.  Check it out!

    Here are some pictures of my annual Thanksgiving, Make and Take Designer Pie Workshop.  Everyone makes their own delicious and beautifully decorated pie, all ready to go into the freezer, to be freshly baked for their Thanksgiving feast.  This is always my favorite class to teach.  Everyone is so surprised  and thrilled with their pies, so it is so much fun.

     I will make a new post after the holiday madness.  Meanwhile, have a happy and healthy holiday and Bon Appetite!
  

A Tribute to My Mom

          This Mother's Day, I wanted to make something special so I came up with this.  This is inspired by my mother and a tribute to her.  I always picture her in floppy hats whenever she travels!  She is very stylish.  She loved it and I am so pleased.

Sunflowers

     Check out my chocolate sunflower showpiece.  This one was lots of fun to make but it took a lot of chocolate to make and weighs a ton!

My Chocolate and Pastry Tutorial Website is Now Online!

     I have just started a new tutorial website with Katreece Montgomery of the ChocolateAddict.com and Razor Byrne Productions.  We just put our first video classes online!  I am very excited about these classes and format because it allows me to share what I am passionate about and the most rewarding part of what I do, which is teaching.  

     The first two video classes are chocolate related.  One is all about hand tempering chocolate and making it very easy and understandable.  The second one puts the tempering to use in making several types of flower petals and assembling different kinds of flowers and the making of several types of leaves.

     I am planning to add classes to the website on a regular basis and will be including all types of pastry and baking as well as tons of chocolate techniques.   The website is ChocolateTutorials.com and is listed as a favorite link on this blog.  You can also access it with the tutorials button on my website, robinartchocolate.com.  I hope you visit the new website and try one or more of the classes. Please sign up on our mailing list on the tutorial website and also feel free to request what you would like me to teach in the future.  We would like our website to be very interactive and encourage you to contact me with any questions, via email.  I will get back to you personally, as soon as possible.

   

My Day With The Culinary Students of College of The Canyons

     I spent a fabulous day with the students of the culinary program at The College of the Canyons in Valencia, California.  They were preparing for their final presentations for their pastry program.  

     We worked on perfecting the tempering of chocolate, the making of several types of flower petals, the assembling of a flower and the planning and making of a chocolate showpiece or amenity for displaying their final pastries and bon bons.  They were great students and did a wonderful job.  I had such a good time with them.  I hope I get an opportunity to work with them and their terrific teacher, Chef Cindy Schwanke.  

     I wish them all the best success.  I want to thank them for the very inspiring experience.

Here are some of the student's flower creations.

The Pastry Class of 2014 

College of the Canyons

I Just Upped My Game

   
     I recently spent a week with a world renowned chef  added new techniques to my chocolate skills.  It was an enlightening chocolate experience and also so much fun.  I learned lots of new ways of doing things.  I really got a great deal from the class and feel that I really upped my game!  Here are some new pieces.
I hope you like them.

Chef Stephane Treand, MOF

Gifted Chef and Artist

Chocolate Valentine's Day Box Class at Let's Get Cookin'

     I taught a chocolate class at Let's Get Cookin' just before Valentine's Day.  All the students made heart shaped chocolate boxes with tempered chocolate and decorated them as they wished, using transfer sheets and some chocolate decoration that I had remade.   We also made assorted truffles and bon bons to fill the boxes for our special Valentine. 

     They were wonderful students and everyone of their boxes were beautiful works of delicious chocolate artistry!  They made me sooo proud.  We all had a great time.

What a great group of students.

Truffles and bon bons we made to fill the boxes

The beauty shot!

Chocolate Boxes Filled with Treats for Your Valentine!

     I have been very busy this month with special orders for Valentine's Day. Here is a short post with some preview pictures. More to come later!

This is a selection of chocolate boxes filled with turtles, cookies, truffles and chocolate hearts.

Red hearts filled with white passion fruit ganache. Yum!

Bon bons filled with vanilla cream ganache and raspberry pate de fruits.

A selection of chocolate lollipops and cookies.

Have a very sweet Valentine's Day.

Coming Soon: Online Chocolate and Pastry Classes with me at ChocolateTutorials.com

     I am really excited about my new project. I just finished filming two full classes for my new website,  www.chocolatetutorials.com.  The first class is all about tempering chocolate, the why and how to's. The second class is Chocolate Flowers and Leaves, Class 1.

     This new venture is a partnership and collaboration with Katreece Montgomery of Razor Burn Productions and thechocolateaddict.com. I had a wonderful time while filming with her and her partner, Frances.

     Teaching is my favorite part of my business. I love showing people the delicious and gorgeous things that they can make, with just a little guidance and some professional techniques.  They are always so surprised and pleased with what they have been able to create.


     The new website is online and the classes will be available shortly. They are now in the editing phase. The next lesson will be on making edible, decorative chocolate boxes that can be filled with any treats or Bon Bons that you wish.


     In addition to chocolate classes, I will be offering baking and pastry classes. French Macarons is the next one on my agenda. Please visit the website and send my your request for future class topics and techniques.  You will be able to ask my questions through the website. We will also have PDFs that you can download and print, that will have all the pertinent information that is covered in the classes.


     I hope you will visit the website and also take a class!