2010 Candy & Confectionery Conference [PLAN]

[lebowits]

Steve, thanks for the agenda change, now I can attend "Flavor Dynamics" and "Introductory Chocolate Techniques"!

It just made more sense.

[beacheschef]

I'm arriving at BWI on Friday morning around 10:30. Is anyone else flying in around then - so we can share a ride to Albert Uster?

Steve - I'm game for any meal that someone else cooks for me. Any place that you select would be great.

Do you need an extra digital scale, or do you have enough?

Thanks for organizing this gathering!

Mary

[lebowits]

In order to foster a lively discussion on Sunday about decorating your pieces, I'd like to ask for any photos you might like to offer of your work. The goal is to talk about a variety of different techniques we can use to make our work look both more appealing and attractive to our customers and friends.

Don't be shy. Send me anything you like.

[Marmish]

I'm arriving at BWI on Friday morning around 10:30. Is anyone else flying in around then - so we can share a ride to Albert Uster?

Steve - I'm game for any meal that someone else cooks for me. Any place that you select would be great.

Do you need an extra digital scale, or do you have enough?

Thanks for organizing this gathering!

Mary

Mary! I'm glad you are coming. I think I fly in earier than you, but let me check. That might work.

[susanmc]

Steve,

I would like to attend the conference if you accept amateurs. I'm just starting out making candy and have been tempering chocolate using Grewling's method but would like to expand on making professional looking chocolates for my friends. Thank you. Can I mail you a check?

Susan

[lebowits]

Steve,

I would like to attend the conference if you accept amateurs. I'm just starting out making candy and have been tempering chocolate using Grewling's method but would like to expand on making professional looking chocolates for my friends. Thank you. Can I mail you a check?

Susan

Susan -

You are more than welcome to join us. Our group will contain people with all skill levels. As for the fee, just bring it with you. We're only a couple of weeks out.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Steve

[Kerry Beal]

Just starting to put together a list of things I'll need to bring (actually that Art and Wilma will be bringing!) and wondered if I should bring along any copies of my DVDs - if any of the starting out chocolatiers will be wanting to buy them?

[susanmc]

Kerry,

I would like to purchase a complete set of your DVDs at the conference. Thanks.

Susan

[lebowits]

Event Update

Event Information

Event: 2010 Candy & Confectionery Workshop

Dates: Friday, 16 April 2010 - Sunday, 18 April 2010

Location: L'Academie de Cuisine, 16006 Industrial Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 2087 USA [map]

Note: This event is not sponsored or endorsed by L'Academie de Cuisine.

Fee: USD $150.00

This fee is intended to cover all facility rental, required staff labor, and materials (edible or otherwise) for the event. Any leftover funds at the end of the event will be donated to the eGullet Society.

Accommodation

Reservations should be made by Friday, 12 March 2010 in order to guarantee the group rate. Links have been provided for each hotel below. The links to the first 2 hotels will take you directly to the hotel web site with the appropriate group code.

1. Springhill Suites - USD $64 - $104 including breakfast [map]
   
2. Courtyard by Marriott - USD $64 [map]
   
3. Homestead Studio Suites - USD $69.99 (kitchenette) [map]
   
   Call the hotel directly at +1-301-987-9100 and ask for the "eGullet Workshop" group block when making a reservation.

   
   

Agenda (tentative as of 12 November 2009)

Friday, 16 April 2010

• 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Modern Truffle & Praline Techniques with Albert Uster Imports Assistant Corporate Pastry Chef Amanda Haba
  
  Albert Uster Imports is a provider of pastry and chocolate products for the professional chef. They are located next door to L'Academie de Cuisine and have a long history with the school.

  
  

• 7:00 - ??? Evening Social & Chocolate Tasting
  
  Show off your work! Bring a little something to share. We'll find a nosh or two and some drinks and spend a little time getting to know each other better.

  
  

Saturday, 17 April 2010

• 8:00 - 8:30 Breakfast and Introductions
  
• 8:30 - 10:00 "Bean to Bar" - Grinding Cacao and Nuts @ Home - Dr. Balu M. Balasubramanian of Inno Concepts/CocaoTown
  
• 10:00 - 10:15 Break
  
• 10:15 - 11:45 Flavor Dynamics - A discussion crafting and combining flavors into your products - Leader lebowits
  
• 11:45 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch
  
• 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Lab Work - Putting Theory into Practice
  
• 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Introductory Chocolate Techniques (tempering, ganaches, molding, etc.) - Kerry Beal a.k.a. "The Chocolate Doctor"
  
• 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Cleanup
  
• 6:15 pm Group Dinner - Proposed Roundtable Discussion - Starting a Business - Lessons Learned (All)
  

Sunday, 18 April 2010

• 8:30 am Breakfast
  
• 9:00 am - 10:30 "Decorating your Products, Color, Texture, Fluffy Bits on Top" - Either open discussion or speaker TBD
  
• 10:30 - 10:45 Break
  
• 10:45 - 12:00 Lab Work - Continuation from Saturday & Decoration Techniques
  
• 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch
  
• 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm Lab Work - Continued
  
• 3:30 - 4:30 Final Cleanup
  

Attendees as of 16 March 2010

Yes

lebowits

David J.

chocoera

Marmish

Kerry Beal +1

RobertM

psantucc

pringle007

Linda S

curls

ejw50

ChrisHennes +1

jimdiii

ArtMills +1

alexandra

beacheschef

Mark H

MikeGaraffa

susanmc

95% Yes

brokenscale

Fran

Desperately wanting to

Lior

Maybe

Desiderio

truffleguy

[psantucc]

Just starting to put together a list of things I'll need to bring (actually that Art and Wilma will be bringing!) and wondered if I should bring along any copies of my DVDs - if any of the starting out chocolatiers will be wanting to buy them?

Yes, please - I'm sure I'll want at least one, quite possibly more. It rather depends on how successful I find my first attempts using proper moulds in the next week!

[lebowits]

I wanted to triple check before next week. I will be bringing a "large" (3 kg) temperer and RobertM has offered his ACMC (3 kg. Is anyone else bringing a melter or temperer? We have a variety of chocolates in significant quantities to work with. At a minimum, I would like to be able to keep a dark, milk, and white chocolate going.

Many thanks.

Steve

[Kerry Beal]

I wanted to triple check before next week. I will be bringing a "large" (3 kg) temperer and RobertM has offered his ACMC (3 kg. Is anyone else bringing a melter or temperer? We have a variety of chocolates in significant quantities to work with. At a minimum, I would like to be able to keep a dark, milk, and white chocolate going.

Many thanks.

Steve

Do you want melters?

[lebowits]

I wanted to triple check before next week. I will be bringing a "large" (3 kg) temperer and RobertM has offered his ACMC (3 kg. Is anyone else bringing a melter or temperer? We have a variety of chocolates in significant quantities to work with. At a minimum, I would like to be able to keep a dark, milk, and white chocolate going.

Many thanks.

Steve

Do you want melters?

A melter would be very welcome.

[Kerry Beal]

Three or six kg?

[lebowits]

Three or six kg?

That's a very good question. I'm sure we could use either one. Both of the other machines are 3 kg. I can't recall last year whether we wound up seriously depleting the 6 kg melter, but I suspect we did. How painful would it be to bring? Either way, we'll manage. We ARE capable of actually melting tempering by hand!

[lebowits]

Event Update

We now have a reservation for dinner at Clyde's Tower Oaks Lodge on Saturday night at 6:30 PM. I have no idea why I didn't think of this place before, but it will have something for everyone. The plan is to have 2 x 12 (to 14) person tables so we'll be able to have some really good conversation. The cost of dinner is included in your event fee provided we don't blow out the budget.

Event Information

Event: 2010 Candy & Confectionery Workshop

Dates: Friday, 16 April 2010 - Sunday, 18 April 2010

Location: L'Academie de Cuisine, 16006 Industrial Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 2087 USA [map]

Note: This event is not sponsored or endorsed by L'Academie de Cuisine.

Fee: USD $150.00

This fee is intended to cover all facility rental, required staff labor, and materials (edible or otherwise) for the event. Any leftover funds at the end of the event will be donated to the eGullet Society.

Accommodation

Reservations should be made by Friday, 12 March 2010 in order to guarantee the group rate. Links have been provided for each hotel below. The links to the first 2 hotels will take you directly to the hotel web site with the appropriate group code.

1. Springhill Suites - USD $64 - $104 including breakfast [map]
   
2. Courtyard by Marriott - USD $64 [map]
   
3. Homestead Studio Suites - USD $69.99 (kitchenette) [map]
   
   Call the hotel directly at +1-301-987-9100 and ask for the "eGullet Workshop" group block when making a reservation.

   
   

Agenda (tentative as of 12 November 2009)

Friday, 16 April 2010

• 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Modern Truffle & Praline Techniques with Albert Uster Imports Assistant Corporate Pastry Chef Amanda Haba
  
  Albert Uster Imports is a provider of pastry and chocolate products for the professional chef. They are located next door to L'Academie de Cuisine and have a long history with the school.

  
  

• 7:00 - ??? Evening Social & Chocolate Tasting - SpringHill Suites (Lobby Breakfast Room)
  
  Show off your work! Bring a little something to share. We'll find a nosh or two and some drinks and spend a little time getting to know each other better.

  
  

Saturday, 17 April 2010

• 8:00 - 8:30 Breakfast and Introductions
  
• 8:30 - 10:00 "Bean to Bar" - Grinding Cacao and Nuts @ Home - Dr. Balu M. Balasubramanian of Inno Concepts/CocaoTown
  
• 10:00 - 10:15 Break
  
• 10:15 - 11:45 Flavor Dynamics - A discussion crafting and combining flavors into your products - Leader lebowits
  
• 11:45 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch
  
• 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Lab Work - Putting Theory into Practice
  
• 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Introductory Chocolate Techniques (tempering, ganaches, molding, etc.) - Kerry Beal a.k.a. "The Chocolate Doctor"
  
• 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Cleanup
  
• 6:30 pm Group Dinner - "Clyde's Tower Oaks Lodge" 2 Preserve Parkway, Rockville, MD 20852 [map] (All)
  

Sunday, 18 April 2010

• 8:30 am Breakfast
  
• 9:00 am - 10:30 "Decorating your Products, Color, Texture, Fluffy Bits on Top" - Open discussion
  
• 10:30 - 10:45 Break
  
• 10:45 - 12:00 Lab Work - Continuation from Saturday & Decoration Techniques
  
• 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch
  
• 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm Lab Work - Continued
  
• 3:30 - 4:30 Final Cleanup
  

Attendees as of 16 March 2010

Yes

lebowits

David J.

chocoera

Marmish

Kerry Beal +1

RobertM

psantucc

pringle007

Linda S

curls

ejw50

ChrisHennes +1

jimdiii

ArtMills +1

alexandra

beacheschef

Mark H

MikeGaraffa

susanmc

95% Yes

brokenscale

Fran

Desperately wanting to

Lior

Maybe

Desiderio

truffleguy

[lebowits]

Calling all cars!

Please let me know if you will have a car or other wheeled transportation while here for the workshop. We'll need to make sure everyone who wants to, has a ride to/from the SpringHill Suites on Friday and to Tower Oaks Lodge for dinner on Saturday night.

Please let me know ASAP if you can take a guest or two, or if you will NEED a ride so we can get everyone paired up.

Thanks for your help with this.

[curls]

I will have a car and can transport two (possibly three) people to the group dinner.

Edited April 7, 2010 by curls (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Three or six kg?

That's a very good question. I'm sure we could use either one. Both of the other machines are 3 kg. I can't recall last year whether we wound up seriously depleting the 6 kg melter, but I suspect we did. How painful would it be to bring? Either way, we'll manage. We ARE capable of actually melting tempering by hand!

Not going to hurt me a bit - Art's bringing my stuff! We seriously depleted the 6 kg melter for milk chocolate last year if I recall.

[Chris Hennes]

I'll have a car and room for two.

ETA: Sorry, that's room for two in addition to my wife and me.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Chris Hennes (log)

[psantucc]

Calling all cars!

Please let me know if you will have a car or other wheeled transportation while here for the workshop. We'll need to make sure everyone who wants to, has a ride to/from the SpringHill Suites on Friday and to Tower Oaks Lodge for dinner on Saturday night.

Please let me know ASAP if you can take a guest or two, or if you will NEED a ride so we can get everyone paired up.

Thanks for your help with this.

I'll have a car. I'm arriving at the SpringHill early (~ 2 am) Friday and can shuttle up to 3 people as needed.

[lebowits]

Three or six kg?

That's a very good question. I'm sure we could use either one. Both of the other machines are 3 kg. I can't recall last year whether we wound up seriously depleting the 6 kg melter, but I suspect we did. How painful would it be to bring? Either way, we'll manage. We ARE capable of actually melting tempering by hand!

Not going to hurt me a bit - Art's bringing my stuff! We seriously depleted the 6 kg melter for milk chocolate last year if I recall.

Bring it on then! We'll just have to get a good early start melting the chocolate.

[Marmish]

I will NOT have a car. I am rooming with Chocoera and don't think she will either, so count both of us in the "need a ride" column

[Kerry Beal]

I suspect Kelly and I will be in the need a ride group too.

[RobertM]

I'll be driving all three days and can accomodate three people comfortably and four if someone can squeeze in the middle of the backseat - and will be more than happy to drive -