Airbrushing Chocolate at ICE’s Center for Advanced Pastry Studies

Treand’s specialty is using an airbrush to decorate chocolate and sugar to create detailed faces with haunting gazes and fanciful masks. His work with these sweet materials won him the gold medal at the National Pastry Team Championship in 2007 and the World Pastry Championship in 2008. He was awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (M.O.F.) in 2004. He was also named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in 2007 and 2008 by Pastry Art & Design.

From Monday through Wednesday, ICE’s pastry kitchens were Treand’s workshop as he helped professional-level students in a Center for Advanced Pastry Studies (CAPS@ICE) class learn how to make and decorate elaborate chocolate showpieces.  CAPS is a unique program where qualified professionals working in pastry come to ICE to take specialty classes with world-renowned experts. CAPS Director Michelle Tampakis (who is also an

ICE Chef Instructor and Dessert Professional Top Ten Pastry Chef) assisted Treand in the class. He demonstrat- ed his technique for airbrushing chocolate to make colorful, life-like images of faces and animals and build beautiful sculptures made entirely of chocolate. 

Each professional student then applied the lessons to making their own sculptural showpiece. The towering showpieces created by the students were truly works of art. Working completely in chocolate, they made animalistic tribal masks, graceful cranes and butterflies so delicate they appeared to be flying. With Chef Treand’s guidance they were able to construct these masterpieces and learn the skills to create new decorative showpieces when they return home.

 For more information on upcoming CAPS classes, check out our schedule online.