Chef Arnaud shows how sugar art is done.

"Watch his hands, watch the way he moves,” the sous-chef stressed as he reminded the crowd that they were indeed in the presence of a master.

Master Pastry Chef Jean Francois Arnaud, one of France’s and the world’s best pastry and confectionary craftsmen recently  visited the Philippines to conduct classes aimed at exposing Filipino pastry practitioners to the global trends of the craft.

Chef Arnaud called attention to the significance of knowing what customers want with their sweets. The master chef stressed that today’s consumers want to know what they are eating and identify the flavors to fully enjoy the treat. It’s a practice of simplifying the taste while playing with texture and design to liven up the pieces.

“The customers need to know what they are eating, they don’t want to think, they want to enjoy,” Chef Arnaud said as interpreted by his souf-chef Bruno Casassus.

Another trend he shared was the evolution of pastry chefs into artist status and that their products are now considered artworks. The master chef also emphasized the growing need to revert to traditional approaches in pastry and confectionary-making and the importance of using quality ingredients in order to produce quality products.

A recipient of the title “un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France en patisserie confiserie” or one of the Best Craftsmen of France for pastry and confectionary in 2000, Chef Arnaud has been to Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hongkong, Malaysia, and the Middle Eastern countries conducting pastry demos and classes, thanks to the people of Fonterra Food Services.

On becoming a master of his art, Chef Arnaud shared, “When I talk to young people, I tell them that they need to work a lot and they need to be passionate. You have to learn every day.”

Aside from sharing new pastry recipes to local Filipino pastry-cooks, Chef Arnaud also demonstrated his artistic talent by creating a center piece made entirely out of sugar. His one-of-a-kind creation is a testament to the devotion he has poured to combine pastry making with his artistic genius.