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