Pastry Live is excited to announce the finalists for the 2013 Chocolatier of the Year. Carefully selected for their expertise and abilities, each competitor will be required to produce two different chocolates sold in their shop. As both taste and appearance are key criteria to be evaluated, each chocolatier will have to meticulously handcraft their creations in order to obtain the title of Chocolatier of the Year. Competing on Sunday, August 25th, here are this year’s finalists:
- Robin Autorino, Robin Chocolates, Longmont, CO
- Jose Luis Castellanos, Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy Center, Chicago, IL
- Melissa Coppel, Jean-Marie Auboine Chocolates, Las Vegas, NV
- Robyn Dochterman, St. Croix Chocolate Company, Marine on St. Croix, MN
- Ross Evans, Stars Restaurant Rooftop and Grill Room, Charleston, SC
- Brandon Lee, Modern Chocolatier, Charlotte, NC
- Gene Leiterman, CocoFlow Chocolate Café, Oklahoma City, OK
- Maura Metheny, Norman Love Confections, Fort Myers, FL
- Karen Neugebauer, Forte Chocolates, Mount Vernon, WA
- Luis Robledo-Richards, Tout Chocolat, Mexico City, Mexico
- Evan Sheridan, Inn at Little Washington, Washington, VA
- Andrea Smith, diAmano Chocolate, Atlanta, GA
- Amy Stankus, Chocolate South, Atlanta, GA
- Santosh Tiptur, Co Co. Sala, Washington, DC
- Emma Kate Veader, The Hess Collection, Napa, CA
Check out the Chocolatier of the Year page for more info!