Chocolatier Magazine

[Wendy DeBord]

I recieved my (shock) last issue yesterday. In Michaels Schneiders Random Thoughts column he says this is it.

Dear Michael,

There are no cheers! Not at all........... I hope you throughly understand that I greatly enjoy both your publications and I anxiously look forward to recieving them. Both Chocolatier and PA & D have opened private doors for all of us who aren't "star chefs" into a world I'm very interested in and curious about.

I've been hard on you in other threads, no doubt- but I fully support your work and there would be a great huge void with-out you. So I want to make sure you understand how much I've apprecated your work! I've purchased every issue you've published and duplicates of some. I work from these recipes often, I look up to the people you choose as PC of the year. You've supported my knowledge and given me exposure into my profession I wouldn't have had with-out you.

Your last issue is beautiful. I was imediately excited to see the sections on the best Chocolatiers. AND now,.... I hope I (and everyone else) has something new to look forward to...as you alluded?

For whatever reasons your private yet accessable. I hope you'll tell us more about what the future holds with you and your publications?

Sincerely,

Wendy DeBord

[pastrymama]

Dear Michael,

What sad news this is. I have never subscribed to Pastry Arts but I bought every issue. I looked forward to the trip to the bookstore to look for it and was always excited to see a new issue. It has served me well all these years and I am so sorry to hear it is finished. I wish you well in your new endevors and hope that we will hear from you.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Robson

Pastry chef, Shady Canyon Golf Club

[tan319]

No more PA&D either???!!!

Tell me it's not true.

I just received a copy of the August 2001 back issue from them that they sent me gratis, because it was the last one, very cool!

Michael, please don't go away, please keep something out there for us.

I've been going thru some back issues recently and was surprised to see a lot of issues addressed that come up here on our board often.

Always a good read, even if sometimes it concentrate's more on the "show" aspects of our world.

I realize you can't keep all the people happy all of the time.

I hope I read this wrong and that PA&D will stay with us.

My condolences on Chocolatier.

[mckayinutah]

Michael,

Wendy's post makes it sound as if you are not going to go forward with Chocolatier, but what about Pastry Art and Design? I hope I am reading it correctly because the lose of Pastry Art and Design, along with Chocolatier, will be a deafening blow to many of us.

Like pastrymama had said, I too looked forward to each and every issue of PA&D, and lit up like a kid in a candy store when I saw a new issue on the shelves at my local bookstore.( So much so, that I actually record when and where I first see a new issue, so that I could know about when to start looking for the next installment )Chocolatier also played a major role for me, especially when I was just starting out in this industry, as its simplicity seemed to be of great help to me back then. I still browse through it when I see a new issue, but only purchased it when I saw something of interest in it for me. ( as many will probably say, I found Chocolatier to be more geared towards the home baker, but was a great magazine to me as a professional on many occassions).

I hope you will keep all of your fans out here in egulletville up to date on your next endeavor(s), as you have greatly enriched my life, as well as I would believe many others, with your love and devotion to this crazy, but always fulfilling, field we call baking and pastry arts.

Take Care,

Jason McCarthy

[duckduck]

The loss of both wll leave a big hole in the industry and on my desk. Now there will be little reason for me to ever cruise a magazine rack. I was at the library recently going through the old Chocolatier issues and realised how many I had and that I have been buying it since nearly the beginning of the magazine. It's been a wonderful ride and I'll cherish the old issues I do have. Thank you Michael and if you start up again or do something new in the future, please check in here and let us know.

[Katherine]

As near as I can see in my reading of this page, what he's trying to tell us is that HE's not going to be the one writing the Random Thoughts column anymore. If you read the snippet at the end, it says

So, when the rumor goes around that I have come out of retirement to once again write my Random Thoughts column, don't believe everything you read, unless...

You subscribe, right? Back up a page to where it says

Dear Valued Subscriber...

They're trying to get us to join the Chocolatier Gold Club for $199 and get a lifetime subscription. Doesn't sound like a magazine about to fold to me.

So wipe away those tears, and read it again. You'll feel lots better.

[duckduck]

Nope. It says they will be going to four copies a year on Chocolatier rather than six so obviously they are going to continue. Whew! Give me a heart attack. If nothing else, now Michael should know that we really appreciate what he does. My oldest Chocolatier I've come up with is an '85. Have I really been buying it that long? Geez...I'm old. I remember younger years of flipping through all the rock 'n' roll mags, reading them, putting them back and then grabbing my Chocolatier and taking it home. It's the only thing I've saved through the years. Looking forward to the next twenty years!

[chocomag]

Whew!!! For a minute there I thought I had an incurable illness and no one was telling me. Let me set the record straight.

I have decided, because my schedule to cut bacv. Putting on the National and World Pastry Team Championships along with the World Pastry Forum, and now the National Bread & Pastry Team Championship out of Atlantic City and finally, entering into discussions with High Noon Productions to create and execute shows for TVFN, I'M BUSHED. Add in my 3 and 6 year olds and life gets complicated.

However, I have no intentions of cutting back on PAD and Chocolatier is in good hands. Also, I have not left my company. I have a great deal to say about how it is run and what goes in it.

But, it is hard to let go. I am by nature a control freak so when I see the 20th anniversary issue of Chocolatier not include Jacques Torres an one of the 20 best artisans, I get sick, then angry. But, you cant let go and then second guess everything your people do.

Our plans for Chocolatier are to take it to 4 issues a year, have them revolve more around holidays, add a chocolate newsletter for Gold Club members written by Clay Gordon, offering lots of discount coupons, etc. and spruce up the quality. Naturally, we will raise the price because we havent for 8 years and the new package will be more expensive. It will be better but will be more consumerish and I realy enjoy the profesional side of the business more. You folks make me feel connected - even you Steve.

Nothing will change with PAD unless we get good ideas from pastry chefs on what they want and are missing. We'll try hard to accommodate them.

On a personal note - your comments about the magazine, my column and me made me feel more appreciated then I have ever felt in 20 years and I cannot tell you what that means to me. It's easy to be misunderstood when everything is judged on who has the largest and loudest opinions. I only hope to someday meet all of you.

Thank you again Drew, without you I would not have been able to connect with these people.

[chocomag]

Okay. I should proof read my stuff before hitting the send button. The second paragraph, first sentence should read I have decided to cut back on my schedule.

[Wendy DeBord]

Well, this message went a stray like the game of telephone kids play.

I just wanted to connect with Michael and tell him how I felt (what a huge impact he's had) and give him a platform to talk about what he's sending us in the future. ie....whats Chocolatier going to look like being a more "holiday" type issue? I don't mind material geared to housewifes (good work is good work- and I know how to scale up recipes). In fact some of the best recipes were ones published in your earily Chocolatier issues. You really found the "who's who" of the industry earily on. I assumed that Chocolatier would be under going alot of change...an end of what we've known-a beginning of something new (I should have stated that better, sorry).

I noticed Trish had an article.....I've wondered where she'd been and I'm glad to see her back-she's made a huge contribution!!!

Who will be running Chocolatier for you? A price increase is fine by me-I'll pay for quality....same holds true for your other publication (PA & D)-I want as much as you can give me and will pay for that.

I don't know anything about the National Bread & Pastry Team Championships held in Atlantic City. Please tell me more? Who's competing? How is this set up? When? details, details...any and all are interesting, please.

[pastrymama]

Whew, what a relief! Thank you Michael for setting things straight. I didn't have the copy that Sinclair was speaking of, so when I read her post I just freaked out, and I guess a lot of others did too. I am so pleased to hear that the magazine will still be published, I can't tell you enough how much I love it.

[mdt]

Sinclair -- Here is a link to the info you wanted. AC Competition Info...

[mckayinutah]

Nope. It says they will be going to four copies a year on Chocolatier rather than six so obviously they are going to continue. Whew! Give me a heart attack.  If nothing else, now Michael should know that we really appreciate what he does. My oldest Chocolatier I've come up with is an '85. Have I really been buying it that long? Geez...I'm old. I remember younger years of flipping through all the rock 'n' roll mags, reading them, putting them back and then grabbing my Chocolatier and taking it home. It's the only thing I've saved through the years. Looking forward to the next twenty years!

Duckduck, you beat me. 1985! Wow! My oldest is from 1992. There have been so many changes in the appearance of Chocolatier since 92', I can't even image what an 85' issue looks like!

On a more serious note, I am glad that these two magazines are going to continue to be available to us. I have all the PA&D issues and probably about 20-25 Chocolatier issues, and believe me, they get so much use out of them that I sometimes think there isn't enough scotch tape in the world to hold them together anymore.

Keep up the good work Mr. Schneider.

One of your fans,

Jason McCarthy

[beans]

Whew, what a relief! Thank you Michael for setting things straight. I didn't have the copy that Sinclair was speaking of, so when I read her post I just freaked out, and I guess a lot of others did too. I am so pleased to hear that the magazine will still be published, I can't tell you enough how much I love it.

Ditto!!!

I think my first copy of Chocolatier dates from the 80's. Lemme check....

Volume I, No. 7, 1985. The cover is titled: "Brownies, not for kids only!"

[ruthcooks]

I have the premier issue hanging around somewhere...

[duckduck]

Our local library in Portland OR has all the issues. I'm always amazed at all the magazines they don't have but they do have all the Chocolatiers. You can always find some old ones on e-bay but they generally go for quite a bit. They are prized collector's items. I know I'll never give mine up!

[chocophile]

It's great to hear how many of you here hold Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design in such high regard. That's just one of the reasons that I agreed to work with Michael and his team on the creation of a chocolate-specific newsletter that will be inserted into the magazine. In case it hasn't been answered yet. Mark Kammerer is talking over general management duties of the magazines.

I also have other plans for the content, and I am very interested to hear from any and all of you - publicly and privately - on the subject of what you think this chocolate newsletter should cover.

Those of you who've followed my posts here and at chocophile.com know where I am coming from. The print newsletter will be supported by a new website and a brand new organization I am creating -- The New World Chocolate Society -- whose main missions are to promote chocolate connoisseurship and New World (as in the Americas and Caribbean) practitioners in chocolate.

Again - the change is all for the good and I look forward to hearing from all of you about what you'd like to see in this newsletter and on newworldchocolatesociety.com.

Thanks,

Clay

[mckayinutah]

Stopped in to my local Borders bookstore yesterday and saw the new issue of Chocolatier that Wendy had originally mentioned in this thread.

I, like Mr. Schneider and probably a few others, was surprised NOT to see Jacque Torres listed as one of the top 20 Chocolatiers. I may not be a huge fan of his work, but I have enjoyed an episode or two of his show on the Food Network, and from what I have seen and read, he knows his stuff. Some of the others listed I had never even heard of ( although I unfortunately don't keep track of Chocolatiers like I do Pastry Chefs)

Something that also caught my eye, and even though I am a big fan of his plated stuff, was listing Pat Coston as one of the top 20 Chocolatiers. I know he has done chocolates at his past places of employment, but his shop is relatively new and I wouldn't think he has been "out" there long enough to get the reputation needed for a top 20 in the country. It's like naming a restaurant that has only been open a few months one of the best in the country, no matter who the chef is or what he/she done in the past . (Just because Thomas Keller opens a new place doesn't mean it will be great -it probably will be , but it needs to establish itself 1st to be considered that) A track record needs to be established, I feel, first before such recognition can be given. ( Maybe Pat already has that , I don't know for sure )

Then again, only my opinion.

Jason

[tchorst]

I first heard of Pat selling boxed selections in the restaurants he's been working in several years ago. In fact he was my inspiration almost 4 years ago to start selling a line in a restaurant I was in at the time. And he's received many kudos for this work. Nice to see him listed.

Edited March 12, 2004 by tchorst (log)

[tan319]

I understand how you feel about Coston, but those 'top'10,20' lists a lot of time have a lot of publicity power( as in PR machines) behind them.

It's like a 'Rolling Stone' magazine poll having a lot of emphasis on newer people in their lists.

This, of course, is not said to take anything away from Patricks work.

He's one of my fave chefs and I'm sure his chocolate work is top notch also.

Just an aside,

I remember going to Aurole, in NYC, around 95 or so, and whoever was doing their chocolates and petit fours, was doing some damn good work!

They came in a beautiful polished wood box after dinner. You could purchase them to take home for 45 bucks.

Wonderful.

[alacarte]

Wouldn't it be a neat idea to have a list of the top chocolatiers throughout history? For example, I just read that the old Ritz in NY had its own in-house chocolatiers in the 1950s. The chocolates were not for sale -- they were boxed and given to hotel guests exclusively.

I know, it's problematic and highly subjective to put together such a list. And worst of all, you wouldn't be able to sample the products of chocolatiers no longer in business.

But wouldn't it be fun to read?