FEATURES
Guittard
NOTTER SCHOOL OF PASTRY ARTS
Orlando, Fla.
www.notterschool.com
Duration/Cost: 2-3 days/$840-$900
Master sugar artist Ewald Notter
presents classes on a wide variety of
subjects, from chocolate and sugar
centerpieces to molecular-gastronomy-inspired plated desserts.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
Although you will be looking for the
ideal class to fill your needs, practical
considerations will likely have a bearing
on which class you ultimately choose.
Here are some questions to ask:
WHAT are the teaching methods—
lecture, demo, hands-on, team-based,
working in pairs or independently—and
how much of each?
HOW MANY students are in the class?
What is the teacher-to-student ratio?
IS THERE a frequency or volume
discount for participants if more
than one person from a foodservice
operation registers, or if more than one
class is taken over the course of a year
or during a fixed time period?
ARE THERE discounted hotels
available nearby, and is transportation to
and from the classes included in the fee?
HOW MANY and which meals are
included in the registration fee?
GUITTARD CHOCOLATE STUDIO
Los Angeles
www.guittard.com
Duration/Cost: 2½ days/$825
“For the past 26 years, my main goal has
been to introduce tried-and-true enduring
techniques that chefs can use in any
facility, whether it’s a hotel, cruise-ship
kitchen or standalone restaurant,” Notter
says. “From wedding cakes to chocolate
centerpieces to nostalgic treats and
new-wave cupcakes, the classes feature
hands-on production with a low student-
to-teacher ratio.”
Donald Wressell hosts a wide variety
of pastry-chef instructors, including
chocolatiers Andrew Shotts and Michael
Recchiuti and bread master Ciril Hitz, to
teach intensive classes, fully hands-on.
PREGEL TRAINING CENTER
Concord, N.C.
www.5-starpastryseries.com
Duration/Cost: 3 days/$795
The classes include farmers-market-driven
lunches prepared by Wressell and served
as nutritional high points during each day.
THE INSTITUTE OF CULINARY
EDUCATION (ICE)
New York
www.iceculinary.com/professional
Duration/Cost: 2-3 days/$500-$750
At PreGel America, the company’s roots stretch
back to its founding in Italy and the world of
gelato. Its product line began with gelato bases,
compounds and sauces for the frozen Italian
ice cream category, but has been extended
to include many other products for speed-scratch production, all of which figure into the
full schedule of classes offered at the PreGel
Training Center.
The National Culinary Review | May 2011
Through its Center for Advanced Pastry
Studies, ICE offers classes limited to 14
participants taught by Anil Rohira, Stéphane
Glacier, and master chocolatiers Derrick Tu
Tan Pho and Vincent Pilon, among others.
“But the school’s 5-Star Pastry series
is more about teaching techniques and
exposing students to equipment they may
not have back in their kitchens than about
promoting PreGel’s product line,” says
Frederic Monti, director.
