Luis Robledo Richards
Tout Chocolat
Luis Robledo Richards has over 15 years of experience as a Pastry Chef and is the owner and creator of Tout Chocolat, a chocolate shop that specializes in high quality products including bonbons, bars, pastries and several other confections.
After graduating form the French Culinary Institute’s “Classic Pastry Arts” program where he was awarded “Outstanding Alumni Award”, Luis joined the pastry department of Restaurant Daniel in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, working alongside Pastry Chef Thomas Haas.
In the summer of 1999 Luis moved to Paris to attend the prestigious École Lenôtre where he apprenticed under chefs Jean-Louis Clément, Stéphane Glacier, Frédéric Anton and Philippe Gobet, all winners of the coveted MOF title.
During his stint in France, Luis worked in Michelin starred establishments such as Le Pré Catelàn and attended chocolate classes at Valrhona’s École du Grand Chocolat in Tain l’Hermitage.
In the fall of 2001 owner Sirio Maccioni named Luis Executive Pastry Chef of his acclaimed restaurant Le Cirque, where his dessert Red Fruit and Vanilla Napoleon was named “one of the five best dishes around the world” by food writer Alan Richman.
After two years as Le Cirque’s pastry chef, Luis was named Executive Pastry Chef of the Four Seasons Hotel New York. In addition to the Hotel’s day-to-day responsibilities, Luis created a line of high-end chocolates that became an immediate success among the Hotel’s VIP and celebrity guests.
In February 2006, Luis moved to Mexico City where he opened his anticipated first chocolate shop “Tout Chocolat”, achieving much success in Mexico and abroad.
Since then he’s been recognized as “One of the Top ten Chocolatiers in North America” by Dessert Professional Magazine and “Chef of the Year” by Vatel Club Mexico.
As a competitor Luis has won numerous competitions including the World Chocolate Masters Mexico in 2010 and 2012, as well as the Mondial des Arts Sucrées as a coach in 2009.
Throughout his career, Luis has appeared in numerous TV segments including Today Show, Good Morning America, Food Network, Latin America’s Gourmet Channel, Mexico’s Channel 11, Utilísima, Televisa and TV Azteca among others.
In addition, Luis has participated in several events such as “City Meals on Wheels”, The Chocolate Show, The Chocolate fashion Show and The James Beard Foundation Gala dinner.
Karen Neugebauer
Forte Chocolates
Master Chocolatier, Karen Neugebauer is a true Artisan who is at the forefront of the Seattle artisan chocolate scene. She has continually wowed customers with both traditional pieces and her cutting-edge confections. Her passion for the craft and cunningly balanced flavor profiles have led to being ranked among the world’s best chocolatiers.
Chef Karen found her passion when she entered the Art Institute of Seattle’s Baking & Pastry program. She was immediately drawn to chocolate, especially the crisp, clean snap of a beautifully tempered bar, and chocolate’s innate ability to enhance lives – both as a food and an art – appealed to her immensely. Soon after graduating, she started Forte Chocolates (2006).
Believing in the philosophy that to celebrate chocolate is to celebrate life, Chef Karen chose to follow the artisan mindset rather than manufacturing large quantities. Her team of artisans craft every piece entirely by hand; including hand tempering, pouring, dipping, and packaging all of the chocolates. With meticulous dedication to quality, she brings to life the remarkably diverse variety of flavors found naturally within chocolate. She also creates stunning flavor combinations by blending chocolates with the finest ingredients available in the marketplace, including savory elements such as organic herbs, honeys, and spices.
Chef Karen has won numerous national and international awards, most notably Gold (2013) and Silver (2011), from the Academy of Chocolate in London, UK. Nationally, she has earned more than 50 Golds and Silvers in four short years (2009-2012), including Taste TV’s Masters Award (2012) and the Six-star rating from the International Chocolate Salons (2013), their highest possible rating in the United States. Chef Karen’s chocolates are carried throughout the Pacific Northwest, available online, and available at her showroom in Mt. Vernon. Please visit us at www.ForteChocolates.com
Maura Metheny
Norman Love Confections
Massachusetts native, Maura Metheny was formally trained in fine arts before turning to a career in pastry and chocolate. Upon earning her bachelor’s in fine arts in NY, Metheny then obtained an Associate of Science degree in pastry arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I.
After graduation, Metheny accepted a job in Lucerne, Switzerland, where she worked in pastry and chocolate. She returned to the United States when offered a job in fine dining at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples. In 2001 Metheny accepted a position assisting Chef Norman Love while continuing to work full time at The Ritz. In 2003, she accepted a full-time position at Norman Love Confections as the Chocolate Production Manager for the Fort Myers-based confectioner, where she designed and oversaw the daily production of over 35,000 handmade pieces of ultra-premium confections, plus production of specialty lines for Love’s G Chocolates by Godiva and FM Artisan by Norman Love for Fannie May Confections.
In 2011, Metheny was promoted to Director of innovation and product design. In her new role, she is responsible for the development of new products and packaging design as well as the continued design and execution all chocolate lines produced at Norman Love Confections. Metheny, having traveled the world to numerous classes and competitions takes her inspiration from both industry and art.
In March 2013, she received a bronze medal in the 24th annual U.S. Pastry Competition for Pastry Chef of the Year sponsored by Paris Gourmet at the Javits Center in New York City. She previously competed in two Showpiece competitions and garnered silver medals in both appearances.
A consummate professional, Metheny strives each day to be better than the day before, and to assist Norman Love Confections in continually raising the bar within the industry.
Ross Evans
Stars Rooftop and Grill Room
A graduate of Tallahassee, Florida’s Keiser University Center for Culinary Arts, Ross Evans joins Stars as a highly educated, experienced pastry chef. After competing in Florida, Chef Evans spent time at Alinea Restaurant in Chicago and North Carolina favorites The Inn on Biltmore Estate and The Blackbird. Chef Evans’ palate reflects the diverse range of culinary communities he has worked in.
Chef Evans manages his team with the goal of serving nothing short of perfect desserts. He designs plates to be both artistic and delectable, qualities that have garnered him accolades and numerous awards. His love of fine arts and attention to detail define Chef Evans’ presentation style.
“I have always loved art; paintings, sculptures, drawings… I found out I could build art through chocolate showpieces and desserts and fell in love with this profession.”
When he’s not in the kitchen, he enjoys spending time outside, polishing his nature photography skills and working on his sport bike.
Robin Autorino
Robin Chocolates
Robin Chocolates came about almost by accident. While in the US Navy, Robin used pretzel dipping in chocolate to keep her son busy while she could cook a holiday meal for other single moms and dads in the military. This became a tradition and the types of confections grew. Years later, a financially rewarding career in the IT world, left a void, a void for passion. Robin landed at a local culinary school where she studied classic French cooking techniques using locally produced, seasonally available ingredients. Her last month of culinary coursework was spent in Avignon, France where she had the honor of studying with master chefs from Michelin starred restaurants and working at a local pâtisserie. Robin’s experience at the pâtisserie inspired her to become a pastry chef. Over the next several years Robin worked to develop her craft in the pastry kitchens of a number of landmark restaurants. Among these are Flagstaff House and Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder as well as The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver. During this time she also interned at Tru in Chicago.
In her spare time, Robin began to make molded chocolates for friends and family, experimenting with flavors and artistry. Just before Valentine’s Day in 2008, a local florist needed chocolates and asked Robin to provide them. She jumped at the opportunity to transform from chocolate enthusiast to chocolate entrepreneur. And thus, Robin Chocolates was born.
Carlo Figarella
Art Institute of Washington
Chef Carlo Figarella graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and honed his cake decorating techniques while working at the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware. He then moved on to become the Assistant Pastry Chef at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia for three years. In 2008, Chef Figarella began to pursue a career in education working at the Art Institute of Washington. At the Art Institute of Washington he has discovered a passion for guiding the future chefs of tomorrow through the wonderful world of Baking and Pastry.
Flora Aghababyan
Wynn Las Vegas
As chief cake designer for Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, Flora Aghababyan upholds the Wynn standard of excellence through her whimsical and uniquecake creations. Since joining the resort in 2007 as a cake artist, Aghababyan brings her sharp talent and a keen imagination to all of her designs.
Growing up in Armenia, Aghababyan began baking as a child, and her hobby quickly revealed itself as a passion. As her interest in pastry arts grew, she focused on learning everything she could to produce edible, dream-like cakes. She went on to refine her skills in several Russian and Armenian bakeries.
In 2000, Aghababyan came to the United States to work as a pastry chef at Chalet Pastry in Hollywood. Shortly thereafter, she joined the Bellagio Las Vegas as chief cake designer where she catered to celebrity clientele and showcased her talents by creating multi-dimensional cakes and pastries.
In August 2007, Aghababyan joined Wynn Las Vegas, where she prepares and adorns cakes for weddings and special events held at the resort. She enjoys transforming cakes into elaborate works of art, contrasting her intricate sugar work with simple flavor combinations, such as vanilla cream with assorted berries. Her pastries have been showcased in competitions such as “Food Network Challenge,” and her cakes and pastries have been featured in People, Star, Wedding Stile and Brides magazines. Most recently, she was awarded the World Grand Prize in the Grand National Wedding Cake Competition in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Sara Hardy Williams
The Cakehouse at Waterstone
For the last 20 years, the only place anyone can imagine Sara being, is in a kitchen, whether it is her own kitchen, or at work, or as a guest pastry chef, or freelancing for a company, it is the one place she can always be found. Twenty years ago, when she took a tiny class, as a newlywed and young mother, she never dreamed that cakes would be such an important part of her life. In the twenty year travel, she has been “Blessed” with the opportunity to do cakes for various movies, politicians, members of royalty, television shows, and be a part of The Next Great Baker Season 2 cast on TLC, plus am entire host of clients who have become family. But her biggest blessings have been the thousands of Brides and Grooms who have called upon her to help make their day special. She has worked for a national grocery chain, a private resort, owned her own bake shop for 13 years, then decided to move from her hometown of Rome, Ga to Acworth,Ga where she joined the Waterstone Events team, during the creation of The Cakehouse at Waterstone. After almost 3 years at Waterstone, Sara decided to build the professional kitchen of her dreams and take her wedding cake business to a higher level. Opening Cakehouse on Main in January 2015 took Sara to a place where she could make sure the main focus on her cakes was indeed the taste.
Sara is the mother of two grown children. Michael and Mary Katherine.
Growing up in a family full of Southern Ladies who loved to fill their homes with baked goods and candies at every holiday, baking seemed to only be a natural progression for Sara. It started with a simple class, then sending treats almost daily to work with her then husband, and making birthday cakes for friends and family members. Word of mouth turned a passion into an explosion of a business and a life full of blessings.
Jaime VanderWoude
Lund Food Holdings, Inc. (Byerly’s)
Chef Jaime VanderWoude graduated at the top of her class with a degree in French pastry and baking from Le Cordon Bleu in 2005 with honors. She has worked since graduating as a French Pastry Chef for Byerly’s a gourmet market in Minnesota. As an up and coming multi-award winner she enjoys teaching and talking everything dessert. Her passion lies in creating custom pastry and wedding cakes for exclusive clientele throughout the Twin Cities. Chef Jaime is a sought-after guest speaker and has been featured prominently in lifestyle segments broadcast on local media. Most recently she appeared in Dessert Professional Magazine along with her recipes and a how to demonstration. She continues to hone her craft daily, persistently researching and experimenting with new techniques in an effort to remain on the cutting edge of the baking and pastry world.
Jessie Anne Reilly
Take the Cake Decor
Born and raised in Ontario Canada and currently residing in Somerset Kentucky, USA, I have pursued my dream in creative cake design as owner of Take the Cake Décor for the past thirteen years. After studying Food and Beverage Management with Cuisine at Algonquin College in Ottawa Canada I operated several restaurants including a Roast Beef House and a fine dining Italian bistro in Canada before relocating to Kentucky in 1996. Furthering my studies I graduated as a Chef Patisserie from Le Cordon Bleu, Ottawa, Canada and have studied sugar art with Chef Andre Renard MOF and Chef Christian Faure MOF. I have also studied gum paste with Nicholas Lodge and cake design with Collette Peters.
I am looking forward to this cake challenge.