Chocolate Stories with Jacques Torres

I had the pleasure today of hearing chocolatier Jacques Torres speak here at Edelman about his life and business and how telling stories has been an integral part of both. Everything from the design of his shops and factories to his ingredients and recipes to his logo have backstories that led him to his successes. For example, the color palette of his shop walls is derived from the multiple colors that cocoa beans display as they develop. His chocolate covered cheerios (a big seller, apparently) grew out of watching a child's cries calmed by a bag of the cereal—so couldn't adults use a similar pick me up?

Jacques Told Me a Story 12 Years Ago That I Still Remember

While I hadn't met Jacques until today, as he spoke I realized that I have carried with me a story he told me—in chocolate—over a decade ago when he was pastry chef at Le Cirque. I don't remember the specifics of my meal all those years ago with the exception of dessert. It was called a "chocolate stove," and I now know that it was the creation of Jacques Torres. The "chocolate stove" was a small cooking stove made entirely out of chocolate: there was a back splash, two burners and two chocolate sauce pots, each holding a different sauce. Lift up the stove and inside you found a block of chocolate cake (cooking in the oven...) Everything was edible, and it was awesome.

I've written before about food stories, but today proved yet again that in any situation and with any type of subject, it is only a story that will stand the test of time. Did I have fish or steak at Le Cirque? No idea. But I remember my dessert...thank you, Jacques!