World-Class Pastry Chef: Chocolatier Jacques Torres

In the world of famous chefs Jacques Torres is a standout as a world-renowned pastry chef. His passion for chocolate has gone unrivalled in the celeb world and he began working with the sweet rich goo at an early age.

At this stage of his career, Chef Torres teaches student pastry chefs. He works as a dean of the now prestigious French Culinary Institute in New York.

Chef Torres Baking Training

Back in the beginning, in France, Torres apprenticed in a bakery shop, appropriately named La Frangiapane. Following his 2-year pastry apprenticeship there he bravely begged a job in the kitchen at famed Hotel Negresco in Nice, France. Over the next few years he worked to earn a degree as Master Pastry Chef at the same time teaching baking to students. Teaching would come back into his professional life later.

In the late 1980s Chef Torres was wooed by the prestigious Ritz-Carlton and moved himself to the U.S. first to Palm Springs then Atlanta. Following this stint he went to work as Pastry Chef in a custom-designed kitchen in New York’s Le Cirque restaurant, a French restaurant with a far-reaching reputation for some of the best food in the world. His custom kitchen here also served as a student chef-training kitchen.

In 2000 Torres became chef/proprietor of his own chocolate shop, located at two NYC locations.

Television and Celebrity

Torres’ way with chocolate is so fantastic that it converted well to television. He has hosted a number of food TV shows, including Chocolate with Jacques Torres and Dessert Circus. He was just one of a few dozen notable chefs to have the honor to appear with Julia Child in her series Julia Child’s Master Chefs.

Torres’ French Culinary Institute

New York City’s French Culinary Institute, where Chef Torres serves as Dean of Pastry Arts and sometimes chef/instructor, some of the best next generation chefs receive training. He is single-handedly credited with designing that school’s curriculum and for hand-picking the best pastry chefs/instructors.