Chocolatines • Reiko Wada

Upon completion of her apprenticeship at the French Pastry School, Chef Rieko Wada set out to fulfill her mission of bringing joy to people through her culinary creations. And in 2004 Chef Wada established Schaumburg-based Sweet Endeavours, a luxury chocolate boutique that reflects her Japanese heritage, interior design background and travel experiences. Much like Wada’s colorful background and experiences, her handcrafted Chocolatines are a delightful blend of “east meets west” flavors that combine French pastry methods with Japanese ingredients and artistry.

www.chocolatines.com

chocolatbrown • Jered Brown

At a young age, Chef Jered Brown discovered his love for food with exotic flavors.  As a disabled veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Brown graduated from the French Pastry School in 2005.  For the last three years, he has honed his craft with chocolate, training with Michael Canady at Canady Le Chocolatier. Chocolatbrown, Jered’s own enterprise, is a sensuous balance of artistic creation and flavor sensation.  Indulge in a truly palate expanding experience.

chocolatbrown@comcast.net

Chocolate Grape • Pat Karpowski & Rehanna Leigh Grady

In early 2007, Rehanna Leigh Grady, an events planner, and Executive Pastry Chef Pat Karpowski did not know each existed.  By strange happenstance, they met at the “For the Love of Chocolate” extravaganza held in February 2007. Neither could have known that, six months later, chocolate would catapult them into the world of “chocolatrepreneurs,” making their meeting at the “For the Love of Chocolate” the paradox of all paradoxes. To Rehanna’s amazement, Chef Pat after reviewing the business plan said he was sold within minutes. He then asked if he could not only become an investor but also be the café’s Chef.  Needless to say the family investors were elated to have such an exquisite talent as Chef Pat on board and said yes immediately to both questions. s a result, Chocolate Grape will open its doors at 2113 W. Division in Chicago early March 2008, led by a new breed of “chocolatrepreneurs” whose distant paths crossed at precisely the right moment at precisely the right event: For the Love of Chocolate.

www.chocolate-grape.com • 773.772.3990

Hyatt Regency Chicago • Alain Roby

Alain Roby, Global Hyatt’s Senior Corporate Pastry Chef, is a certified Master Chef of Pastry & Sugar Artistry. He has been featured in numerous acclaimed publications, as well as on The Learning Channel and several Food Network specials. Chef Roby currently holds two Guinness World Records and has been inducted into the Pastry Art & Design and Chocolatier Magazine Hall Of Fame.

www.chicagoregency.hyatt.com • 312.565.1234

Rolf's • Ford Culbertson

The outside setting is an industrial-looking brick structure on Touhy Avenue, but inside Rolf’s it’s practically Paris. Cases are filled with fresh-baked, light-as-air croissants and frosting-drizzled pastries nestled side by side with baguettes, muffins, cookies and other sweets. Locals sip coffee and read the paper at a few small tables while friendly staff wait on a steady stream of takeout customers. The place does a booming business with elegant, artful cakes. Truffles are another house-made treat, with flavors like champagne, amaretto, Irish cream and good old chocolate.

www.rolfspatisserie.com • 847.675.6565

Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers • Omar Martinez

Award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Omar Martinez has been in the pastry field since childhood, growing up in his family’s Los Angeles bakery boutique.  As a young adult, he honed his culinary skills at the famed Johnson & Wales University. Upon graduation he interned at some of the best bakeries, country clubs and hotels in the Chicago land area. He was appointed Executive Pastry Chef at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers in 2004.

During his long journey, Chef Omar has worked with renowned master pastry chefs, various culinary schools and organizations. He has created impressive displays of original casting techniques with Pastry Impressions and The Chicago School of Mold Making and has outfitted a variety of fashion shows with edible costumes.  Chef Omar elevated his craft to an art form with presentations that were always creative, often whimsical, and sometimes even architectural.

Chef Omar’s passion and innovative approach to create desserts as the focal point of a dining experience, has catapulted him to being on of the most creative and innovative pastry chefs in the hospitality industry.

www.sheratonchicago.com • 877.242.2558

The French Pastry School
The French Pastry School at the City Colleges of Chicago is a culinary institute dedicated solely to the art of pastry. The school was co-founded in 1995 by internationally acclaimed Master Chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sebastien Canonne, M.O.F., who teach the school's six-month L'Art de al Patisserie program along with a roster of award-winning Chef Instructors. Offering the finest pastry training in the United States, the school produces the best-prepared chefs entering the profession. The foundation of instruction is the European artist-apprentice teaching model, which employs constant exposure to master chefs, hands-on training and the use of the finest tools and ingredients.
www.frenchpastryschool.com • 312.726.2419

Tru • Meg Galus

Meg earned her certificate in L'Art de la Patisserie from The French Pastry School in Chicago in June of 2005. While in school, she interned at Vanille Patisserie creating wedding and specialty cakes and soon after graduation began an externship at the highly-acclaimed, four-star TRU. Meg seized the opportunity, pouring her boundless energy and creativity into her work, and within weeks was offered a permanent position. In 2007, Galus was named Pastry Chef as Executive Pastry Chef Gale Gand pursued her varied interests. Meg blends her rural Midwestern upbringing with her classic French training to craft desserts, petit fours, and chocolates that are regionally-specific, highly progressive, and utterly unique. She describes her approach to cooking as one of "constant evolution" as she continually seeks out fresh ideas, interesting flavor profiles, and novel techniques.

www.trurestaurant.com • 312.202.0001