Chocolates à la Carte Sponsors U.S. World Pastry Cup Team; Pastry Team Members Create Chocolate Sensations

The 1994 Winter Olympics ar now over, but the selection process for the 1995 U. S World Pastry Cup Team has just begun.

The team was established by Roland Mesnier, the White House pastry chef, to represent the United States in the first Coupe du Monde de la Pastisserie, known as The world Cup of Pastry, in 1989. Considered the most prestigious international pastry competition, it is held every other year in January in Lyon, France. Eighteen team, representing countries from around the work, showcase their pastry making skills in this team-oriented competition.

To be a member of the U.S. Team, chefs must first apply to be one of the 15 chefs to compete in the national competition. The three top finishers are awarded places on the U.S. Team.

The last U.S. Team selection was held in 1992. That team, featured in this article, finished eighth in the 1993 Coup du Monde de la Patisserie. The selection of the 1995 team ios now in progress and the national finals will be held in Chicago at the Ritz Carlton on July 9-10. All of the current team members will compete again for the chance to go to the 1995 World Cup event.

Chocolates à la Carte has recently become a national sponsor sponsor of the U.S. World Pastry Cup team. In honor of this newly developed relationship, Chocolates à la Carte invited the current team members to visit their manufacturing facility in Los Angeles. As part of the tour Chocolates à la Carte challenged the team members to create new dessert ideas while usingthe company's specialty chocolate products.

Here are some notes about the members of the U.S. World Cup Pastry Team and the desserts they created while at Chocolates à la Carte.

Giles Renusson-Team Coach/ Chairman

Born in France, Gilles began his training to become a pastry chef at the early age of 14. After his apprenticeship, he worked at some of the most prestigious hotels and food emporiums in Paris and London.

Giles moved to the United States in 1981. he was a culinay instructor at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island before becoming the executive pastry chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. He currently is the advance pastry chef instructor at Grand Rapids Community College. As coach of the team, Gilles' goal for 1995 is for the team to be finacially secure and for it to place higher in the January competition than it did two years ago. "Pastry competitions are like sports--you need skill, style and luck to win," says Gilles. He intends for his team to have all of these elements in 1995!

Giles is pleased to have Chocolates à la Carte as a sponsor. "They really care about our profession and I'm impressed with their high-quality products and their strong service orientation."

For his chocolate creation, Giles designed a Hawaiian-inspired dessert in honnor of team member David Brown from Hawaii. He useda chocolate coconut shell and combine with real coconut slices rubbed with white chocolate to make it look as if the skin was still on. he added caramel accents to look like the chain of Hawaiian islands and filled the inside of the coconut with pineapple and orange parfait.

Donald Wressel

Raised in Washington into a famiy of cabinetmakers,Donald decided to break family tradition and become a pastry chef as a teenager. he trained at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle (where his great-grand-father worked as a chef 50 years earlier). In 1985, Donald joined The Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia and then opened The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, where he is currently the executive pastry chef.

Donald decided to become involved with the U.S. Pastry Team after he attended the 1989 World Cup Competition in Lyon as a guest.

For his design, Donald also created a beach theme, which he calls, "Seaside Dreams." He filled a white chocolate Fiji Conch Shell with chocolate mousse and two small shells with fresh berries. He cut strawberry slices in the shape of sand of mango. he added clear orange sauce and dusted the plate with cocoa powder. As a finishing touch, he added caramel threads to the mousse.

David Brown

A native of Connecticut, David studied sculpture at the University of Boston School of Fine and Applied Arts.

After graduation, he traveled to the Greek Island, where he purchased land and became an olive farmer.

He later returned to the United States and found himself in the pastry kitchens at the Hyatt Corporation in Dallas, where he fell in love with pastry preparation. After ten years in Texas, he moved to Hawaii where he is now the executive pastry chef at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island.

David enjoys the camaraderie of the team and is affectionately know as the "mad scientist" by his fellow team members.

for his dessert creation, David used a white chocolate cornucopia and filled it with white chocolate mousse with orange accents. he made crème anglaise leaf designs on the plate and added fresh strawberries and raspberries. As a finishing touch, he dusted the plate with powdered sugar..

Stanton Ho --Team Captain

Stanton was born and trained as a pastry chef in Hawaii. he worked at some of the top hotels in Honoluu before moving to the mainland and beginning his current position as the executive pastry chef at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1979.

Stanton was born and trained as a pastry chef in Hawaii. He worked at some of the top hotels in Honoluu before moving to the mainland and beginnig his current position as the executive pastry chef at the last Vegas Hilton in 1979.

Stanton gets a lot of personal satisfaction by competing on the U.S. Team. He enjoys the friendship that has developed between the team members and believes that being part of a team has allowed his creativity to expand.

A winner of several culinary awards, Stanton was recently named one of the "Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America" by Chocolatier Magazine.

For his creation, he duplicated a dessert which he served on New Years Eve at a large party where the Beach Boys perfornmed. Stanton designed a beach theme and used a marbleized Hawaiian Conch Shell, which he filled with a passion fruit mousse. He added assorted the plate with raspberry coulis and chocolate sauce which he marbleized with crème anglaise in a web design.

Recipes Offered

To assist the U.S. Pastry Team with its fundraising efforts, Chocolates a la Carte will provide you with copies of team recipes including the desserts described in this article for a $25 or more contribution to the team. Send a check made out to the U.S. World Pastry Cup Team in care of Chocolates à la Carte.