Jacques Torres, affectionately known as "Mr. Chocolate", is a renowned master pastry chef and chocolatier. As a prominent member of the International Culinary Center community, he serves as the esteemed Dean of Pastry Arts. His impressive career has been showcased in various television series, talk show appearances, and award ceremonies.
Torres' professional journey began in 1980, when he started working with the renowned two-star Michelin chef Jacques Maximin at the prestigious Hotel Negresco. Concurrently, he pursued his passion for pastry-making by attending culinary school, ultimately earning a Master Pastry Chef degree. Subsequently, he taught pastry courses at a culinary school in Cannes from 1983 to 1986.
In 1986, Torres made history by becoming the youngest person to ever win the Meilleur Ouvrier Pâtissier de France competition. He then relocated to the United States, where he served as the Corporate Pastry Chef for the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company in 1988. Torres went on to work at Le Cirque for 11 years, holding the esteemed position of Executive Pastry Chef.
In 1993, Torres joined the faculty of the International Culinary Center, and after designing the Classic Pastry Arts Curriculum in 1996, he was appointed Dean of Pastry Arts. In 2000, he left Le Cirque to pursue his dream of opening a chocolate factory and retail shop in Brooklyn, New York.
Today, Jacques Torres operates eight shops, including a chocolate factory in the Brooklyn Army Terminal and an ice cream shop in Grand Central Terminal. In March 2017, he opened New York City's first chocolate museum, Choco-Story New York, a 5,000-square-foot museum located at the site of his flagship store in Manhattan.
