How to Turn Chocolate Into Art With International Pastry Consultant Martin Chiffers

At HRC Culinary Academy was held a three-day masterclass “Chocolate Showpiece & Sculpture” with the international pastry consultant Martin Chiffers. The course brought together professionals and pastry enthusiasts from all over the country and abroad who had the opportunity to improve their skills under the guidance of one of the industry’s most renowned experts.

The key topics of the masterclass included designing and constructing sculptures, planning and sketching full-scale projects, and working with various materials and tools. Participants were introduced to techniques such as casting and forming, cold emulsion modeling. The program also emphasized carving and shaping details, preparing and applying paints, as well as spraying and painting techniques. One of the highlights of the course was crafting chocolate flowers, assembling the individual elements, and combining them into a final composition.

One of the most valuable skills Martin Chiffers passed on to the participants was attention to detail. This ability is essential in creating exquisite chocolate sculptures that impress not only with their scale but also with the precision of every element.

All participants made a chocolate sculpture  with height 1.2 meters. Each project featured elements typical for the Bulgarian culture and traditions, such as the rose, the gadulka (a traditional string instrument), the lion from the Bulgarian coat of arms, and the Balkan Levant Sparrowhawk. These symbols were skillfully interpreted in chocolate, resulting in truly impressive works of art.

Martin Chiffers is a renowned international judge and consultant for Afternoon Tea UK, Active Coach and Demonstrator and International Pastry Consultant for local and international Chefs, Restaurants, Hotels, Shops and other food and chocolate businesses around the World.

His most recent accolade was Team Captain & Chocolate Candidate UK at the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Lyon Ranking 4th Place in 2023 at the prestigious World Pastry Cup. Chiffers chocolate showpiece depicting climate change scored overall 3rd place in the World ranking results 2023.

Chiffers is a highly experienced International Pastry Consultant and Executive Pastry Chef and has been working in the hospitality industry for over 40 years at some of World’s most famous hotels and largest F&B operations in London, Singapore, Korea and Dubai.

Working in Asia and the Middle East for 12 years Martin gained a wealth of experience of foreign cuisines, regional patisserie & trends from the different countries & also the promotions have been conducted.

This great event happened with the kind assistance of Pavel Pavlov and with the special support of Chocovic.