Alejandro Lechuga

Mexican Pastry Academy

Chef Lechuga was born in Mexico City. His artistic and creative side, combined with interest for cooking, guided him to attend the culinary school. It was there when he discovered his passion for the pastry arts. After completion of his culinary and Pastry degree at the “Universidad Iberoamericana”, he started his apprenticeship at the French Embassy in Mexico City. When he finished, he worked as an assistant pastry chef at the 5 start Grand Coral Beach Luxury Resort in Cancun Mexico.
Chef Alejandro also attended several courses in pastry, chocolate and sugar at ECOLE de Bellouet Consail en Paris in 2001, 2003, 2005.

Alejandro is one of the most in-demand pastry and sugar instructors in Mexico. He is based in Guadalajara, Mexico where he teaches full time at the ECI. At the same time, Chef Lechuga works as a pastry chef consultant for several Mexican pastry shops and bakeries in the area of California.

Chef Lechuga has been in the competition field for a while. He was the National sugar champion in 2003 and got 3rd place at the Maya pastry championship 2007. His experience in international competition started in 2005 when he represented Mexico at the Coupe du Monde de la Pattiserie, and he has also competed at the World Pastry Team Championship in 2010 and 2012. He coached team Mexico at the Junior World Cup 2011 as well as the Pastry Queen in Rimini, Italy.

In 2012 Lechuga launched Caramell, his exclusive line of pastries, chocolate and sweets confections, Caramell products retails at refine gourmet food establishments, high-end grocery stores and exclusive restaurants.

Victor Rivera

Chef Instructor
University of Claustro de Sor Juana

Chef instructor in the University of Claustro de Sor Juana, also works in the University Iberoamericana as teacher and coordinator.

He studied at the school of Gastronomía Artesanal, Alta Repostería.

He decided to start in 1995 to participate in competitions, as a student won the first place in La Sartén de Oro and then as a professional in Abastur (1996, 2002, 2003). In 2005 he represents Mexico in the Coupe du Monde du la Patisserie.

In 2019 with the Four Season´s team won the first place at the preliminary round in the Mayan Pastry Cup. Once again in the Latinamerican Pastry cup witn the Mexican team won for the first time in this category. (2011)

Also he has been in others competitions like in 2012 when he was part of the bread category team representing Mexico in the Fiera SIGEP on the World Bread cup winning the 2nd place in bread showpiece and 4th place in the overall punctuation.

In his daily work Chef Rivera enjoys to teach, but what he says please him the most is make sugar sculptures. He has being doing this along 18 years and it’s a discipline where he has been distinguished itself is among the first to specialize in it . Nowadays he wants to continue with this sugar art and being the best.

Participate in a contest is something that has given great satisfaction and allowed it to consolidate in the pastry chefs group of the country.

James Mullaney CEPC

Executive Pastry Chef
J Mullaney Pastries

Pastry Chef James Mullaney lives the sweet life. His prolific talents bring beauty, whimsy and sublime indulgence to the tables of the finest establishments in Georgia.

Mullaney takes the artistic aspects of pastry to fresh heights through his award-winning showpieces. In 2005, he and his team took top honors at the National Pastry Team Championship held in Phoenix, AZ and has claimed more than 30 other medals in pastry and ice carving competitions over the course of his career. Mullaney was selected to represent the United States in 2006 and 2009 in World Pastry Championships, here in the U.S. and France.

Mullaney, originally from Pittsburgh, commenced his culinary career in the U.S. Army as a food service specialist, training at Fort Jackson,SC. He later graduated from an accredited Pastry Apprenticeship Program at The Cloister on Sea Island. He then expanded these skills further at chocolate schools in the pastry meccas of Belgium, France and Spain. Additional training at the Notter School of Confectionary Arts led to a full time position as lead instructor of baking and pastry.

Mullaney worked for the Sea Island Company / Mobile Five-Star Cloister Hotel for a total of 18 years, 9 as Executive Pastry Chef. He served as Pastry Chef of the Mobile Four-Star Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ and as Pastry Chef of the Five-Diamond Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, FL. Recently, he worked with Atlanta Foods International and QimiQ Corporation (Austria) working as Corporate Pastry Chef.

August 2012, Mullaney opened his own business “J Mullaney Pastries,” a consulting and catering firm serving clients around the world.

Alex Hwang

Cherokee Town and Country Club

Chef Kyongran (Alex) Hwang, one of the most hard working pastry chefs today, came to United States in 1999 with great hope and dream to become one of the most sensational pastry chefs in culinary world. In 2001, she enrolled at Culinary Institute of America and earned Associate Baking and Pastry degree in two years.

After she graduated from CIA, she started working at Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia and she has established herself to become an Executive Pastry Chef. During early part of her career, she worked under Chef Christopher Northmore who is Certified Master Pastry Chef as his apprentice. Needless to say, while she was working under Chef Northmore, she was heavily inspired by his master skill, style, work ethic, and great passion for Pastry and Baking art.

In 2006, Kyongran demonstrate her brilliant skills in ACF Pastry Salon at Savannah, GA “Wedding Cake Competition” and won Silver medal and in following year, she won bronze medal in “Novelty Cake Competition” ACF Pastry Salon at Atlanta, GA. ACF Pastry Salon 2007 (Atlanta, Dessert Expo) Atlanta, GA “Wedding Cake” First Place, ACF Bronze Medal, ACF Pastry Salon 2008 (Atlanta, Dessert Expo) Atlanta, GA “Occasion Cake Competition” First Place(ACF Gold Medal) ACF Southeast Regional Conference, 2010 (Birmingham, AL) “Twix Mini Trio Dessert Competition”, First Place. ACF National Pastry Chef of The Year 2011( Dallas TX), First Place, ACF Silver Medal

Brian Donaghy

Product Development Specialist
Chocolate Delivery Systems
Brian is currently the Product Development Specialist for Chocolate Delivery Systems of Buffalo, NY. At CDS he is responsible for the development, sourcing and manufacturing of all chocolate and other food products that are sold in North America, the Caribbean and Europe. In addition to his responsibilities at CDS, Brian is the principal at The Criollo Group, a consulting company that specializes in chocolate and confection.

Previously, Brian was an instructor at the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute, the Corporate Pastry Chef at Tomric Systems, Inc., the Assistant Corporate Pastry Chef at Albert Uster Imports and worked for the Ritz-Carlton company. He has appeared twice on Food Network Challenge, winning once and has taught numerous classes throughout the United States.

Away from the kitchen Brian enjoys spending time with his wife Christina, daughter Olive and his two Labradoodles Criollo and Sally, watching baseball and has recently taken up playing Squash again after a 20 year hiatus.

Ruth Bleijerveld

Pastry Chef/Instructor
Benchmark Restaurant of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College

Ruth Bleijerveld is currently a Pastry Chef/Instructor at Benchmark Restaurant of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute of Niagara College, Canada.

She began her love for everything sweet as a child watching Jacques Torres on PBS on Dessert Circus. Not realizing though till later in life how that had an impact on her second career choice.

With parents who emigrated from Holland in the 50’s, they raised their family in a home based business atmosphere. Horticulture taught her that the harder you worked the more you gained. Hard work paid off and made Ruth successful in several retail beginnings where creativity, organization and planning was just a springboard for what lay ahead for this country girl.
Ruth, a mother of 3 children, entered College in 2008. She completed her Culinary Management Diploma only to go right into Baker/Patisserie Apprenticeship Red Seal. Amongst the amazing skill at Niagara College, Ruth was able to dedicate many hours beyond school to excel in the land of flour, fat, eggs and sugar. But in the midst of all that, there she found her love for Chocolate and has never looked back.

Her creativity and skill with Chocolate has taken her to win awards and temper chocolate with some of the top names in the world. Attention to detail and her determination to excel have brought her to Niagara College where she can pass on her talents to future chefs.

Julian Perrigo-Jimenez

Assistant Executive Pastry Chef
Caesars Palace Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV

Chef Julian Perrigo-Jimenez is Currently the Assistant Executive Pastry at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Before being called back to return to the action of Las Vegas he was Executive Pastry Chef at the iconic Fairmont San Francisco. Prior to that, he opened the cosmopolitan Resort & Casino as Pastry Sous Chef, overseeing main production of pastry for all of its outlets and creating custom showpieces for special events and buffet display. He also worked as an Assistant Pastry Chef at Bellagio Resort & Casino. It was before that where he started his career in Las Vegas as a Pastry Chef Tournant at Paris Hotel & Casino. He also worked onboard Cruise ships for NCLA where he served as both Assistant Chief Pastry and Chief Pastry.

Perrigo-Jimenez attended the California Culinary Academy and is actively involved in the Pastry Chef community. He also competed in the 2009 National Pastry Championship as well as Pastry Live in 2013 where his team received the Sponsor’s Choice award. When creating pieces, he highlights his creativity through inspired abstract design that produce unique works that truly stand out.

Jordan Snider

Assistant Executive Pastry Chef
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV

I was born and raised in South Carolina, growing up in the coastal city of Charleston. My career started in a retail bakery producing artisan breads and croissants, later progressing to become a pastry chef at The Carolina Yacht Club. My wife and I moved to Las Vegas in 2010. I worked at the Mandarin Oriental to help achieve the hotels 5-star status and at the Paris Resort and Casino as Pastry Chef Tournant. I took the job of Assistant Executive Pastry Chef at Mandalay Bay in early 2013 where I oversee banquet, retail, restaurant and chocolate production with a staff of 60 bakers.

In November of 2013 my wife and I welcomed our first child, a daughter named Hazel Jacob. We have two dogs and a cat and in my spare time I enjoy playing golf, traveling, fine dining and spending time with my family.