Amaury Guichon and the Modern Pastry Chef

Last week, I attended an amazing masterclass with the one and only - Amaury Guichon. Those of you who are not familiar with his name, I'm sure you've seen his insane and out of this world gorgeous pastry creations floating around the social media for the last few months. Starting with his most famous chocolate clock to his all-chocolate masterpieces (check out his Instagram account - you won't regret it - https://www.instagram.com/amauryguichon/), Chef Guichon became a social media sensation and a part of the pastry arts revolution.

The class was held at PreGel Training Center in Concord, NC. PreGel provided one of the best masterclass experiences by taking care of everything and making it easy for attendees to focus on the class. The cost includes the hotel, transportation to and from the school, delicious lunch and all-you-can-eat PreGel gelato! Let me tell you, in over 95 degree heat - it saved us during the breaks.

During the entire three day masterclass, I among other pastry chefs from all over the country watched Chef Guichon create magic in the kitchen. Watching someone who's as passionate about his work as he is is beyond inspiring the say the least. His every move, gesture, glaze pour, and chocolate work is precise and leaves no energy or product wasted. He makes everything looks so easy and effortless even when everybody in the room holds their breath when he gently lifts the acetate tape away from the chocolate decor to reveal something breathtaking.

And once the presentation table was setup with all of the petite-gateaux in their final vision of their creator, it was hard to fight the urge to eat them all at once.

All the recipes and techniques are now ours to implement in our own work and I can't wait until this heat releases us for a bit to allow me extra hours in the studio and practice all the new recipes inspired by Chef Guichon's work.

The Glam of Pastry Chef Profession But as I was sitting there and watching Guichon work, I was star struck and in awe from his entire persona and what he represents in the new modern pasty world. I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, a pastry chef used to be associated with a big teddy bear like features and a belly to show for all the hard work he or she done trying out all those recipes he or she had worked on. It wasn't a profession that stood out to many people nor has it ever invoked such emotions and associations that it does now. Aumary Guicon is one of the greatest modern pastry chefs that not only redefined what a high-class luxury dessert should be like but also reinvented the entire profession's image. Pastry Chef profession has become glamorous and romanticized. These chefs invent something new everyday that blows everybody's mind on social media and beyond. People pay crazy money to see them in person and learn from them the art of modern pastry-making both professionals and home-bakers.

The new generation of Pastry Chefs are fit and healthy and some could even be mistaken for an Instagram fitness model yet they produce sweets that melt all your stress and worries away upon the first glance and bite. They are young and attractive and hundreds of thousands aspire to be like them or at least create something as special as they have, myself included.

Chef Guichon was and is one of the reasons I got into the modern pastry arts and now have From V With Love. It's been a little over a year and a half since the first time I stumbled across his Instagram account and been dreaming of learning from him. Dreams do come true and I'm getting more and more convinced of it every day.

What dessert would you like me to re-create first? (note, some moulds are created especially for Chef Guichon and are not out on sale yet. So, while it may not look exactly like his creation, it should taste the same *fingers crossed*)