Artisan Chocolates

It's been another crazy month at the Westin.

We had no less than the President of the US, Mr. Bush, staying in our hotel for over four days together with his wife and father.

We also catered to the Saudi Arabian Prince and the Prime Minister of Singapore.

However, what was really tight was Mr. Bush's visit because of the strict protocols. It was a sweet success for all of us having only very minor glitches. I couldn't even believe myself I would survive that period (start at 4:00am and end at 8:00pm).

The highlight of my blog today are the different amenities I prepared for the important people.

It was a blessing that a well-regarded pastry chef named Kevin Curry was with us for a month to assist me in setting up my kitchen. He's been with the Westin for about 8 years. He's dubbed as the Willy Wonka in Beijing. Now on his own running a consultancy firm (http://www.currytouch.com), KC showed me some new stuffs and ideas.



This must be the coolest mould to have bringing out your chocolate's character farther. This mould is produced by Felchlin resembling the famous Swiss Alps. But the most important thing is how KC utilized the mould to create a very exciting collection of artisan chocolates. My personal favorite is the whiskey chocolate which is the one partially hidden on the left. Here is another take on the whiskey chocolate. I love the rustic appeal (and the kick).



You need a brush and a gold powder to create the metallic look.

And now the application: putting together your chocolate pieces and other goodies to create an amenity that is welcoming enough and fit for a king and the president. I didn't have so much time preparing the amenities for Mr. Bush and the Saudi Arabian Prince so I managed to provide a clean, simple and modern amenity for each of them. I could have done any better if time was not a problem (they were needed in 20 minutes).