Making Chocolate Right
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Goossens was an invaluable resource but he also had one of the infamous attributes of many culinary artists–a terrible temper. “He was a pretty good instructor when he felt like it, but mostly I was a good student,” says Piron. He made the most of his internship by pulling long hours, keeping extensive notes, and trying to soak up every minute detail.
After a year he headed back home to put what he’d learned to work. He found a former denture lab in the basement of a Northbrook building that was equipped with ample electricity and good ventilation and set up shop as a maker of fine chocolates. He refined his skills there for three years, mostly working on wholesale accounts for local candy stores. He also picked up a few bigger corporate accounts like Nestle, Hormel, and Crate & Barrel that purchased chocolate gift boxes filled with homemade truffles. But the profits were nominal. “You learn quickly that when you hand make a product, you don’t wholesale it,” he says.
The homemade fillings–luscious chocolate ganache, hazelnut paste, raspberry cream–are piped in from a pastry bag. During the busy winter months he goes through about 150 pounds of chocolate per day, making as many as 1800 pieces in a single morning.
Last week Mantuano Mediterranean Table in the NBC Tower became Nicolinas Cucina, an Italian-Mediterranean restaurant under new chef Jeffrey Begina.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Eugene Zakusilo.
