We Crave His Chocolate, But What Does Mr. Chocolate Jacques Torres Crave?

“I don’t know if it’s a secret, but I love things that maybe I should not love. I love peanut M&Ms. I always loved them and I will always love them. Is it the best chocolate? Of course not. Is it too sweet? Of course it is! I love peanut M&Ms. Go figure. It’s one of those things.

“In pastry, I love those, we call it flan. It’s pretty much a custard of a pastry cream over a sweet dough. And it’s cream, that’s what it is. Sometimes we put fruit, sometimes we don’t. And most sophisticated pastry chefs will not eat that, because it’s extremely basic. I love that. I’m a very simple man, and I don’t mind getting dirty and cleaning. I’m a very simple guy and I love simple things. People think, ‘Oh, you know, you’re so sophisticated. You’re a chocolate maker. You’re this, you’re that.’ But you know what? I love things that are maybe going to be simple to you, but I’m going to still love them. So it’s who I am.”

Master Pastry Chef Jacques Torres, known also as Mr. Chocolate, is the owner of Jacques Torres Chocolate

Interview and photo by Kara Chin