The Question That Could Start a Revolution: Where Will I Be in 5 Years?

I have had the great honor of talking with some very good friends of mine in the pastry industry lately.  We talk pastry, life and sometimes just to say, “Hello.”  But recently a sinking feeling started to hit me.  We were all talking about the same thing, more or less, and that is:  Where is more »

Taste vs. Flavor

In 2004, I had the honor for winning the gold medal with Team USA at the Word Pastry Team Championship. Many people know that, but often I find that they don’t know that I also won the prestigious award for Best Flavor. Although the competition team has 3 members, the program is broken down into more »

Chris Hanmer Explains the Flexible Chocolate He Developed

The idea for flexible chocolate was developed while I was preparing for the Food Network Challenge Runaway Chocolate episode.  I wanted to do more in chocolate than just the same old things.  This is an important detail because – whenever I do a competition – I never want to play it safe.  I always try to be more »

The Story of a Broken Showpiece and the Lesson in the Pieces

This week I was asked about a competition that I was in some time ago.  In that competition my showpiece crashed to the floor at the very end before it had been scored.  The question was, “How did you get over it?”  Not many people have asked me that.  Most people just look at me more »

Chocolate Showpieces – The Best Tasting Art

What makes a good chocolate showpiece?  Is it the color?  The shape?  The size?  As with all art, the answer to these questions can be yes and no.  We have all seen things that we like – from cars to flowers to photographs.  If we love the look of a car, is it more beautiful more »