Chicago – Callebaut® Finest Belgian Chocolate™ announced that Chef Celine Plano has been appointed Technical Advisor at the Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy in Chicago. Chef Plano joins a prestigious and talented team of Technical Advisors who work with chocolate artisans – pastry chefs, bakers, confectioners and caterers as well as up-and-coming chefs – to help them develop new ideas, creations and recipes.
“We are pleased to welcome Chef Plano to the Chicago Chocolate Academy team, to share her passion and wealth of experience with our students and our clients,” said Patty Kopitas, Callebaut Brand Manager, Americas.
“My years of experience in my profession, from pastry shops to fine dining restaurants to luxury hotels, have prepared me for this wonderful opportunity,” Chef Plano said. “I’m excited to share my knowledge and love of chocolate.”
The Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academies are teaching and training centers for artisans and professionals who want to improve their working skills in chocolate and learn about new trends, techniques and recipes. There are 13 Chocolate Academies located around the world, with only one in United States. The Academies offer practical and theoretical courses for participants. More than 500 interested craftsmen attend events every week
Born in Paris, Chef Plano grew up in the city of Bayonne, in the Basque country of southwestern France. She began her career with a two-year apprenticeship in her hometown at the JP Heynard Patisserie when she was 15 years old, and obtained her pastry diploma at the age 17. Over the next several years, she broadened her experience in pastry shops and restaurants in southwestern France. At the age of 21, she moved to Paris to pursue her dreams and over the next five years, she worked at several Michelin star restaurants and at the famous Fauchon Patisserie.
In 1997, Chef Celine moved to the United States where she worked under Chef Frederic Monti at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta, eventually moving her way up to Executive Pastry Chef within Ritz Carlton Hotels from Atlanta to San Francisco. In 2006, she joined the Four Seasons Hotel as Opening Executive Pastry Chef for its new property in Westlake Village, Calif., where she stayed for three years. In 2009, she joined the culinary team at the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago as its Executive Pastry Chef.
About Callebaut® (www.callebaut.com):
For 100 years, Callebaut® has been making chocolate in the heart of Belgium and is still one of the rare chocolate makers to select, roast and grind cacao beans into its own secret and exclusive cocoa mass – the most important ingredient for chocolate couvertures. Callebaut® was established in 1850 in Belgium as a malt brewery and dairy company. It produced its first chocolate bars in 1911 and began production of chocolate couverture for Belgian chocolatiers in 1925. Callebaut® began exporting its products in 1950 and is part of Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate.
Barry Callebaut:
With annual sales of about CHF 4.6 billion (EUR 3.6 billion/USD 5.0 billion) for fiscal year 2010/11, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate – from the cocoa bean to the finished chocolate product. Barry Callebaut is present in 27 countries, operates around 40 production facilities and employs a diverse and dedicated workforce of about 6,000 people. Barry Callebaut serves the entire food industry focusing on industrial food manufacturers, artisans and professional users of chocolate (such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs or bakers), the latter with its two global brands Callebaut® and Cacao Barry®. Barry Callebaut is the global leader in cocoa and chocolate innovations and provides a comprehensive range of services in the fields of product development, processing, training and marketing. Cost leadership is another important reason why global as well as local food manufacturers work together with Barry Callebaut. Through its broad range of sustainability initiatives and research activities, the company works with farmers, farmer organizations and other partners to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods.
Suorce: Barry Callebaut