The Keylink Junior Chocolatier of the Year competition is pleased to have three fine judges for this years competition.
Thierry Dumouchel
Sara Jayne-Stanes OBE
John Slattery
The Judges
Thierry Dumouchel
Thierry Dumouchel is a talented pastry chef, baker and chocolatier from Normandy, now living and working in Yorkshire.
He trained at a renowned food college in Rouen and has worked in London, Paris, Sydney & Tokyo, including Hotel de Paris, Monaco, Chateaux D'Eclimont & Peletier, Paris. He was technical director as well as senior lecturer for the world famous Le Cordon Bleu Organisation.
In 1998, Thierry set up his own bakery in Garforth near Leeds producing high class artisan breads, savouries, cakes, chocolate & sugar work using state of the art equipment and staffed by a team of craftsmen. He has a successful retail shop on-site.
A mobile outlet visits local offices during the week and food fairs and events at the weekend.
Eleven years into his business the company is already catering for some of the most prestigious hotels, restaurants and delis in the area, including The Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey and Thorpe Park Hotel & Spa (part of the Shire Hotel group).
Wedding cakes French style are a speciality. Chocolate creations feature throughout Christmas and Easter as well as handmade truffles and chocolates all through the year.
Thierry is the UK ambassador for both Cointreau and Barry Callebaut, judging the annual World Chocolate Masters competition.
Eager to pass his skills on to the public, Thierry runs demonstration classes from his Garforth headquarters whenever possible which have proved very popular with food lovers, especially one course designed for the chocoholics amongst us!
Thierry’s awards include “Highly Commended” in the UK Baker of the year category of the British Bakers Association awards 2007, and Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Great Taste Awards. His most recent award is that of Yorkshire Life “Chef of the Year” 2009/2010.
Sara Jayne-Stanes OBE
Sara Jayne-Stanes OBE (Chairman of the AoC) is Director of the Academy of Culinary Arts; food writer, author of award winning ‘Chocolate: the Definitive Guide’ and Chocolate Evangelist.
As a food writer and chocolate truffle maker, Sara’s love affair with fine chocolate has endured for the past 20 years, evangelising about it whenever she can and to whomever will listen! She is passionate about provenance of ingredients, origins, varieties, breeds, organics, etc and particularly CHOCOLATE. She has written ‘Chocolate: the Definitive Guide’, with a foreword by Michel Roux OBE. It is the story of three and a half thousand years of cocoa to chocolate, from pod to palate: its history, geography, social and religious applications, its nutritional values, tastings, wines pairings, 'dos and don'ts and recipes. Sara regularly broadcasts and write about chocolate and gives lectures, seminars and tastings.
The Academy of Culinary Arts is Britain's leading association of head chefs, pastry chefs and restaurant managers whose principal aims include raising the standards of food, cooking and service through education and training and providing career opportunities for young people. The Academy runs awards schemes, specialised apprenticeships and Adopt a School (of which Sara is a Trustee) which is the Academy’s charity and a schools project that teaches children about food, where it comes from and cooking through tasting sessions.
Sara lives in Clapham with her chocolate loving, wine merchant husband, Richard and their Battersea dog Cocoa.
John Slattery
Bernard and Margaret Slattery opened their first Bakery in 1967.
“Slatterys Bakery”, originally on Cleveland Road, Crumpsall, along with a small shop on Marlborough Road, Higher Broughton.
Their son, John was 14 at the time and he would help in the bakery after school and at weekends.
At 16 John went to Salford College to formally train in baking and confectionery and spent time in Switzerland and Europe gaining further qualifications and experience.
Between 1979 and the mid 1980’s the business grew in reputation and size. During these years the business won many accolades in the national bakery competitions with John and his sister and husband, winning the UK Bakers of the Year Award, 4 years in a row!
In 1991 John opened a new business in Whitefield at 156 New Bury Road where he concentrated on the “sweeter things in life”. John’s passions and expertise always lay in the confectionery side of the business and he concentrated on producing handmade chocolates, gateaux and desserts alongside birthday, wedding and celebration cakes.
In 2004 John moved his business across the road to a new, larger building, which was named the “Slattery School of Excellence”. This unique training facility provides courses and demonstrations for both the trade and the general public, covering everything from chocolate, sugar modelling and cake creation to cookery and wine tasting.
Seven years after the move the business is still going strong.
