SUGAR SOIREE
NYCs top pastry chefs convene for PastryScoop.coms Fall 2007 Conference

	Perfectly piped buttercream flowers adorn Victoria Loves (The Water Club) cupcakes.

New York, NY. October 2007—Sunday, October 4th was a day of fun and learning for over 200 guests who attended PastryScoop.coms Fall 2007 Conference. The event drew a diverse range of pastry lovers—from skilled professionals to home bakers—to New York City's French Culinary Institute where 14 chefs and bakers led demonstrations on their favorite pastry topics.

Nancy Olson of Gramercy Tavern showed off creative uses for brioche, the mighty queen of French breads, and Grandaisy Bakery's Cristobal Guarchaj crafted rustic loaves in the Italian style. Jaime Sudberg, of The Stanton Social, rolled out pop tarts, Twinkies, and other retro American snacks while Angel Elon and Wendy Israel of Baking by Design erected ornate, edible special occasion gingerbread houses. The Water Club's Victoria Love showed guests how to form buttercream flowers and flourishes in a hands-on piping demo, and, in another cake workshop, Ron Ben-Israel embellished a tiered wedding cake with decorations crafted from custom-made silicone molds. The FCI's Kir Rodriguez revealed techniques key to making classic Italian desserts while Kyotofu's Magdalena Wong infused traditional Japanese ingredients into elegant plated desserts. French cakes were on the menu for Financier Pâtisserie's Eric Bedoucha while French pastry chef Dominique Ansel of Daniel composed sublime four-star desserts made with chocolate. Finally, two workshops focused on alternative techniques: Shimme, from Whole Foods Market, and Jorge Pineda of Candle Café baked delicious vegan and gluten-free desserts, and The FCI's David Arnold and Nils Norén used high-tech methods to create desserts with a modern edge.

The featured chefs and topics were:

• Cristobal Julio Guarchaj of Grandaisy Bakery, Artisan Bread Baking
• Kir Rodriguez of The FCI, The Italian Culinary Academy Presents Dolci Italiano
• Shimme of Whole Foods Market & Jorge Pineda of Candle Café, Whole Foods Market Presents Vegan, Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free, and More
• Ron Ben-Israel of Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, Silicone Molds for Cake Decorating
• Nancy Olson of Gramercy Tavern, The Beauty of Brioche
• Angel Elon & Wendy Israel of Baking by Design, Building with Gingerbread
• Magdalena Wong of Kyotofu, Desserts with Japanese Flavor
• Dominique Ansel of Daniel, E. Guittard Chocolate Presents Chocolate Desserts from Daniel
• Victoria Love of The Water Club, Buttercream Piping Techniques
• David Arnold & Nils Norén of The FCI, Cutting-Edge Dessert Technology
• Jaime Sudberg of The Stanton Social, American Classics Revisited
• Eric Bedoucha of Financier Pâtisserie, Cake Boutique

The attendees feasted on tastings provided by participating chefs and enjoyed refreshment breaks with sweet and savory snacks courtesy of Président Cheese and the students of The French Culinary Institute. Guests also received a goodie bag containing gifts from our event sponsors and copies of the chefs' recipes.

Join PastryScoop.com for our Spring 2008 Conference at The French Culinary Institute on Sunday, May 4th.

View more images on our Flickr photostream.

To request high resolution photos, email info@pastryscoop.com.

Dominique Ansel of Daniel dazzles guests with elegant chocolate desserts.		Light hazelnut cream with gianduja biscuit, milk chocolate mousse, and sweet corn-caramel ice cream by Dominique Ansel.		The FCIs David Arnold and Nils Norén plate a deliciously high-tech cheese course.
Cristobal Julio Guarchaj of Grandaisy Bakery wows the crowd with his mastery of artisanal breads.		Breads from Grandaisy Bakery "knead" no introduction.
Financier Pâtisseries Eric Bedoucha pipes delectable raspberry mousse onto individual cakes.		Guests listen intently and pick up tips from the pros.		Baking by Designs Wendy Israel and Angel Elon stand proud behind their whimsical gingerbread houses.
Guests pipe down as The Water Clubs Victoria Love pipes up!		The FCIs Kir Rodriguez reveals the secrets behind perfectly executed Italian desserts.		Hungry for knowledge—and dessert.
Nancy Olson of Gramercy Tavern explains the beauty of brioche.		Tapenade swirled brioche by Nancy Olson.		Jaime Sudberg of The Stanton Social recaptures vintage desserts in the form of gourmet Ring Dings.
Ron Ben-Israel takes the cake when it comes to artful cake decorations.   Guests photograph Ron Ben-Israel's masterpiece.
Shimme from Whole Foods Market revs up the crowd for delicious alternative bakery treats.		Candle Cafés Jorge Pineda demystifies vegan desserts.		Kyotofus Magdalena Wong shows how Japanese flavors hit the sweet spot.

PastryScoop.com would like to express appreciation to all who have provided support for the Fall 2007 Conference.

EVENT SPONSORS

Special Thanks To

Everyday Food from the Test Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, The FCIs student and staff volunteers and Classic Pastry Arts and Art of International Bread Baking Departments, Gingerbread Homes for Animals, and Pastry & Baking North America.

ABOUT PASTRYSCOOP.COM

Founded in 2004 by The French Culinary Institute, PastryScoop.com is a free online resource dedicated to supporting and celebrating the pastry arts through a dynamic, information-packed website, as well as dozens of online and offline events—from conferences and competitions to chef demonstrations and online chats with the hottest tastemakers around the country. PastryScoop.com reports on the latest dessert trends and innovations, tips and techniques, with comprehensive listings of resources, ingredients, conversions, and information about pastry educational programs. Our mission is to inspire, educate, and bring increased awareness and appreciation for the pastry arts and to promote creativity and community within the field. For more information, visit www.pastryscoop.com.

ABOUT THE FRENCH CULINARY INSTITUTE

The French Culinary Institute (The FCI), located at the International Culinary Center in New York City, teaches the protocol, language and techniques upon which all Western cuisine is based. The FCI offers a rigorous six-month program by day and a nine-month program by night for aspiring and working culinary and pastry professionals who seek quality, intensive education in a condensed period of time. The school also offers a career track in bread making. The FCI's patented hands-on Total Immersion™ method of instruction informs all of its curricula, including its extensive roster of Continuing Education programs for professionals, and intensive consumer courses designed for serious amateurs. In 2007 the school launched a one-of-a-kind Italian program for students to study both at the International Culinary Center and in Italy, and a series of leading-edge culinary technology courses.

PRESS CONTACT

Judiaann Woo, (646) 254-8543, jwoo@pastryscoop.com