Last week, Dessert Professional, the magazine I co-edit, presented the Annual Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America awards, honoring ten pastry chefs for their contributions to the industry. The event took place in the spacious kitchens at ICE (Institute of Culinary Education). Here’s our list of the 2011 Top Ten Pastry Chef in America:
Antonio Bachour – Executive Pastry Chef, Quattro at Trump Soho, New York, NY and Solea at W South Beach, Miami
Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez – Pastry Chef, PRINT, New York, NY
Tariq Hanna – Pastry Chef and Owner, Sucre, New Orleans, LA
Sylvain Leroy – Pastry Chef and Technical Advisor, Paris Gourmet, Carlstadt, NJ
Francisco Migoya – Associate Professor, The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY
Jerome Landrieu – Pastry Chef and Director, Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy, Chicago, IL
Yoni Morales – Executive Pastry Chef, Ark Las Vegas Restaurant Corp., Las Vegas, NV
Oscar Ortega – Pastry Chef and Owner, Atelier Ortega, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Ron Paprocki – Executive Pastry Chef, Gordon Ramsay at The London, New York, NY
Jean-Francois Suteau – Executive Pastry Chef, The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA
Dessert Professional’s Hall of Fame inductee this year was Pastry Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of the French Pastry School in Chicago. Pfeiffer was the subject of the film Kings of Pastry, a documentary about the Meilleurs Ouvrier de France competition. If you haven’t seen it, do. It’s worth it, especially if you’re a dessert junkie like me.
This year’s Top Ten event was downright magical. Guests – among whom were pastry luminaries such as Jacques Torres, Rose Levy Beranbaum and Nick Malgieri – sipped champagne and sparkling rose as we mingled and tasted the offerings of the talented group of award-winning pastry chefs. The desserts were exceptional, and this year’s group of chefs were as gracious as they were talented. Special thanks to Rick Smilow of ICE (Institute of Culinary Education), where the event was held, and to Paparaji and Jeff Lazar of Dessert Professional for their great photos. Recipes for all ten desserts will appear in the August issue of the magazine. To subscribe, visit www.dessertprofessional.com. Following are some of the desserts the ten chefs whipped up for this event.
