# STOP USING CHOCOLATE FOR SHOW!!!



## kdg48123 (Nov 15, 2014)

How come there is no discussion about the rising cost of chocolate and its decline due to climate change? Since 2007 the price of chocolate has went up 87% and yet we continue to use chocolate for non-consumption purposes. 

As a pastry chef and small business owner this makes me sick. It seems more apparent these days that pastry chefs worry more about appearance and being able to make it look beautiful, than the flavor. We do not need to make towers of chocolate to prove how good we are as chefs.

Each year 100's of tons of chocolate are wasted because we build towers of chocolate to wow people, and then throw it in the trash??? 

My hope is to put a stop to the waste of our shrinking global chocolate supply. We have a responsibility as professionals to stand up against schools, competitions and hotels from this wastefulness.


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

But isn't this where pastry chefs learn alot about technique ?


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## kdg48123 (Nov 15, 2014)

Well I am sure it is, but techniques for what? For more show pieces? There is plenty of things we can learn without throwing this amount of food in the garbage? 

If I am way off on this, thats fine. I like to make chocolate garnishes. But as any really good pastry chef will tell you, you should not garnish a dessert, pastry, etc. for the purpose of look. A garnish should compliment the dish via texture or flavor, not just for look.

Just seems like an unnecessary waste, like butter sculptures.

Time will tell....


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## chefboyog (Oct 23, 2013)

I didnt notice chocolate go up that dramatically, but I will look again when I have time I have an inventory from 08. But then Im not a chocolatier or pastry chef. I love to work with chocolate and do wish to learn more techniques for show.... On the other hand Id like to not be so wastefull. I do hear your plea....

When i do an Ice sculpture I can drop( i.e. Waste) 100s of dollars and time, in my mind it might be chocolate. If I put similar amount of time and money into chocolate for a centerpiece would supply and demand not ask for more people to start farming cocao? If its price is rising?

Typically once I learn one sculpture technique I start looking for another centerpiece to offer... Im not into butter or lard sculptures I dunno I haven't seen any nice ones yet never looked either.
Can you not re use the chocolate? I dont typically see nice( wastefull) chocolate work in my area but I watched a doc on the French pasrty competition and I have to say its impressive art in my opinion and worth every ounce of chocolate.

OK maybe this guy is being wastefull:





  








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chefboyog


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Nov 15, 2014








We do waste a ton of food need to rethink our ways a bit. The public needs to start ordering and expecting sensible amount of food on buffets, centrepieces, plates etc


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## lagom (Sep 5, 2012)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...were-running-out-of-chocolate/?wpmm=AG0003409

an intresting article on the topic


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## spoiledbroth (Sep 25, 2014)

Non edible food sculptures should actually be outlawed. pretty sickening if you've ever been to a third world country and seen the type conditions people survive and indeed thrive in. Imagine what they could do with all the wasted calories from non-edible food art. Hell I'll even include ice sculptures in that.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

You could take this subject to the sublime if you really wanted to.

What about all those food presentations at high priced hotel buffets?

Someone mentioned ice sculptures.

Those chocolate fountains use only a small amount for the guests and afterwards, all the rest gets canned.

Now, if you REALLY want to get into this....let's talk about all the food that restaurant, grocers, bakeries, and supermarkets throw away each day.


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## chefboyog (Oct 23, 2013)

As long as you believe what the Commerzbank is saying you might as well sell all your belongings, jkin the church of O'Leary and short cocao futures. Get rich first, then feed the world, chocolate. Haha



Or you may believe the same article which mentions a hybrid cocao plant which will yield 700% more. In that case we'll all be eating cocao soup in old age.

Its all supply and demand. Sit out halloween and don't participate in North American wedding rituals if you don't like it.

I personally am scared of two things, eggs on my car and an angry woman so I will continue to support both.


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## kdg48123 (Nov 15, 2014)

I agree chefross, hotels are the worst. I used to work at a big resort hotel and we would throw away untouched platters of fruit, etc. Very sad.


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## spoiledbroth (Sep 25, 2014)

Chefross said:


> Now, if you REALLY want to get into this....let's talk about all the food that restaurant, grocers, bakeries, and supermarkets throw away each day.


There's a bit of a difference between not being able to sell something by law because it's past expiry, and buying 200kilo of chocolate for the specific reason that it is not food but a medium for artwork.

Not that chocolate is the staple food of any people anywhere, wasteful inarguably.


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## chefboyog (Oct 23, 2013)

What did Chef Ross say about the law @SpoiledBroth?

Ive seen some statistics of percents of total food production worldwide that is wasted for whatever reason. The number is high. I personally think the whole cocao crisis is hype generated by Hersheys etc, CNN and the like.

End use consumers throw out a lot as well.

Packaging. Waste full.
Chuck Hughes pointed out a banana wrapped in plastic on styro with a price tag on a social media feed made me laugh... Sickn really

Give me art anyday, people have no idea about waste.

@Chefross
Whats Sublime have to do with it? My favourite SoCal Rock Band?

Haha just having fun learned how to use the @ tag thing.

SB want to outlaw our freedoms and art and expression???? Gah.

OP @kdg48123 you are a pastry Chef? On my opinion pastries are luxuries just like Chocolate art, gold chains, diamond rings, and ice sculptures of diamond rings ( my favourite centrepiece far) oh and the Champagne they pour through the luge. Luxury items. Pastry, hah. Throw out so many cookies make me laugh.

For the record cocao production i.e supply has gone up. Not down. Show me the numbers otherwise you are just Trolling IMO.

Just throwing numbers off top of my head ( did some reading yesterday) but the cocao production went from 3m tonnes 20 years ago to about 6m now? + 5% per year. And when we ( North America. europe, China etc


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## spoiledbroth (Sep 25, 2014)

damn you're in a bad mood today huh..


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## chefboyog (Oct 23, 2013)

Not really.


SpoiledBroth said:


> damn you're in a bad mood today huh..


You guys are suggesting ( on a Chef forum) using food for decoration be outlawed.

I make my business doing exactly this.

If there is an actual shortage or shortfall or reason to stop having fun with food Im listening. I will refute it to an extent hough.


SpoiledBroth said:


> Non edible food sculptures should actually be outlawed. pretty sickening...Hell I'll even include ice sculptures in that.


Talk of banning chocolate art and ice sculptures could get me rowed up but Im working on that.

Try harder you might change my mood. 
One liners aren't going to do it. 
#SmileyFace 
# FirstWorldProblems?

Show me links that don't talk about the bank of Kommerz. Truly I would like to see proper numbers.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

meh... for what it's worth, I've been buying Lindt couverture--shipments of +100 kgs 5-6 times per year for the last 6 years with out a price increase.  Lindt pricing will go up in January, but I have a heads-up of 3 mths.

The cocoa tree is a very complex thing, a 700% increase is a dream.  Hershey's tried and failed, and just about bankrupted the country of Belize trying to increase yields.

With chocolate display pieces, I have a few "core beliefs".

1) A display piece (NOT competition piece) can consume as much as 100 hrs of labour, not to mention ingredients.  In order to maximize this investment, the display should be in a plexi-glass cage, and used on a daily-weekly basis until it breaks.  Milk it.

2) Larger displays for hotel lobbies, etc. do not have to be solid chocolate, you can spray couverture onto stryofoam or other structural elements. You will still use chocolate, but not as much.

3) Chocolate that has been sneezed on or collecting dust doesn't have to g into the garbage, you can compost it  I remember taking classes at the.Callebaut factory outside of Montreal, and was asking what happens to all the "waste chocolate" when they change out machinery and the like.  The answer?  The chocolate-water was utilized (and sold) as pig-feed for local farmers.


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## spoiledbroth (Sep 25, 2014)

banning the use of food and water for non edible application when there are serious shortages in both those resources much the world over I think is a pretty defensible position. I'm not saying it's stupid, I couldn't carve a brick out of butter. More props to anyone who has that kind of skill, but I just can't help but think... wanton waste is kind of wrong in this day and age. I don't know anything about chocolate shortage or anything like that. I'm just saying... Doesn't seem right.


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## kdg48123 (Nov 15, 2014)

Hey ChefboyOG, yes I am a pastry chef/ baker have worked in every type of establishment there is for the past 20 years. I am not saying outlaw chocolate garnishes. As I said earlier I use them as well. There just needs to be some accountability in the country and the world with chocolate and food in general. I agree I have not seen chocolate go up in price that much either, but its the future I worry about. 

We have a responsibility as professionals and as people to eat foods in season and not demand that every type of food we want, be at our super market year round. I suppose you think the oceans are fine too and fish species are doing fine?

And there are chocolate competitions all over the world including the US and its not just there. Its just a waste, plain and simple, you are defending waste. Period.


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## chefboyog (Oct 23, 2013)

@foodpump
How were the Callebaut classes? Do you recommend them?

The case display is a great suggestion thats what I saw on that amazing French competition doc.

I reuse/ repurpose ice as well if possible.


SpoiledBroth said:


> . I don't know anything about chocolate.... just saying... Doesn't seem right.


#agreedforoncehaha
#whatsitworthfreeadvice


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

This is a good topic and discussion so please stay focused and respect one another's opinion.


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## chefboyog (Oct 23, 2013)

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chefboyog


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Nov 18, 2014


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## dobzre (Mar 3, 2011)

And i'm just over here licking my chops at the prospect of lab created chocolate that is impervious to XYZ, and is cheap! We all love innovation, until the days campaign of choice (created by that guy over there), gets in the way.






KILL THE B̶A̶T̶M̶A̶N̶ ROGER!


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## simplybaked (Nov 30, 2014)

I have to say I agree... Garnish just for the sake of being pretty is a wasteful practice.. a garnish should be edible, and enhance the dish... whether its chocolate or a mint leaf, or whatever you want to use. With the cost of chocolate skyrocketing... Its just sad.


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## imbaked (Dec 22, 2014)

It should be a moral matter, not just a fear of rising prices. Whats that documentary on netflix right now? Chocolate: bittersweet....? Something like that, watch it and do the research if you're interested. We need to change...everything.


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## chefpeon (Jun 14, 2006)

I've been a pastry chef for a long, long time, and in my earlier days, doing showpieces, displays and over-the-top stuff that mostly didn't get eaten was "my thing". 

As the years went by, however, and I witnessed the total waste of food going out the back door and into the dumpster every day, I just couldn't do it anymore. Especially when I would leave after a long shift and see the homeless people diving in there to get what we'd thrown away. I started leaving the food, bagged up, next to the dumpster so they wouldn't have to crawl in and dig around for it, but I got reprimanded for that (yeah, I know, rats, liability....blah blah blah). 

I just see too many people who are hungry and struggling. I see too much food go to waste. I have a personal moral problem with that. I've gotten involved with local programs where left over food is given to food banks and homeless shelters, and it makes me feel better somewhat. Still though, much food is wasted. 

I don't do showpieces anymore. Anything I make is edible and meant to BE eaten. If it doesn't taste good, I don't bother making it. With so many hungry people, I can't see using food as "media" anymore. Showpieces are great, and a very challenging skill to learn, but basically the skills you gain making showpieces just help you make better showpieces. It's not like those skills translate very well over to most other (practical) jobs in the culinary world. So I'm done with it, personally. 

On another note, I've been reading quite closely about the "chocolate deficit". A big thing I have noticed is that chocolate that was "OK" to eat, like Hershey's, Nestle's and other common brands now are pretty much inedible to me. There is something different there as far as I can tell. I think those big manufacturers have changed their formulations to reduce how much actual cocoa is actually in their chocolate. I could be wrong, but things don't taste right.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

chefpeon said:


> I've been a pastry chef for a long, long time, and in my earlier days, doing showpieces, displays and over-the-top stuff that mostly didn't get eaten was "my thing".
> 
> As the years went by, however, and I witnessed the total waste of food going out the back door and into the dumpster every day, I just couldn't do it anymore. Especially when I would leave after a long shift and see the homeless people diving in there to get what we'd thrown away. I started leaving the food, bagged up, next to the dumpster so they wouldn't have to crawl in and dig around for it, but I got reprimanded for that (yeah, I know, rats, liability....blah blah blah).
> 
> ...


I was told many years ago by a Chef that if there is a slight burning sensation in the back of your throat after eating chocolate, then it was a cheap kind that was cut with carob.


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