In todays highly visual world, pastry chefs can stand out with unique sugar sculptures. I notice that people remember me more for my airbrush than my cake, says Master Pastry Chef St矇phane Tr矇and, M.O.F. with a laugh. The recipient of the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France, (M.O.F.), which means best craftsman in France, cant wait to share his techniques with students who attend his workshop this September 23-25 at ICE.
Tr矇and believes that anyone can create their own work of art if they put in the time. Sugar work is not only for chefs, says Tr矇and. It's for everybody. Hopefully I can fill up the class with artistic amateurs. Students will learn airbrushing, casting, pulled ribbon, pulled sugar flowers and much more.
Tr矇and advises beginners to use silicon molds, work with isomalt, wear plastic gloves and use lots of stencils when airbrushing. Hes also noticed a trend in the United States to build showpieces that can stand as tall as seven feet high, but he suggests that newcomers start slow with mini showpieces. And as with any craft, attitude is everything.
My philosophy is never give up, share and always want to learn, says Tr矇and. You have to be curious. You can always improve the way youre doing pastry. Believe me, Im still learning. Tr矇and discovered sugar showpieces in the 1970s when he saw another chef construct a Singer sewing machine made entirely of sugar. I was very impressed by how the cast iron was made of sugar, said Tr矇and. I was like, Wow, how can you do that with sugar? I remember thinking that if I do something theatrical, like a showpiece, people will remember that, because it's visual.
Since most showpieces in the mid-80s were replicas of existing objects, like the Eiffel Tower, Tr矇and focused on more abstract shapes to distinguish himself. Today, Tr矇and finds inspiration for designs everywhere. Driving on the freeway sometimes you see a structure and say, Well, that's a nice bridge and of course the background we have in France is of beautiful churches or art from the last few centuries mixed with European art deco, says Tr矇and.
There are many things that we mix. Some chefs even find inspiration in tribal tattoos. Tr矇and warns that sugar sculptures should not get too weird though. People like to recognize what it is, says Tr矇and. You always need to be careful and do something that people can find themselves in.
Hes practiced his own advice to great success. Tr矇and was named one of Dessert Professionals Ten Best Pastry Chefs in America in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, he coached the bronze-winning USA team (which consisted of three of his former assistants) at the International Pastry Competition in Tokyo. Currently, hes the executive chef consultant for Occitanial, a pastry shop in Tokyo, and he runs his own school in California, Art of Pastry Academy.
The greatest moment of Tr矇ands career, however, remains the day he earned his M.O.F., the highest title anyone can get in an artisan manual trade in France. Thats my first moment of pride in my whole life, says Tr矇and. I got it after three tries. My first final was in 1997. I failed. I failed again in 2000 and finally I got it in 2004. When you get it on the third time, it's even more important because you know the value of it. Finally youve got it, and you know youve got it forever.
Tr矇and finds that his students feel their own sense of pride when they complete their first showpieces. When they do something and realize, Oh my goodness, I did that with my fingers and it's pretty nice, they feel proud, says Tr矇and. They feel happy and that's all we need, just feeling happy. Tr矇and is grateful he discovered the artistic side of pastry because it gives him the chance to do something new every day. I think its fun, says Tr矇and. Its freedom. Its creation.
Space is limited to register today for Chef Tr矇and's Sugar Showpieces workshop at ICE.
