Netflix’s ‘School Of Chocolate’ Features The Most Insane Chocolate Sculptures
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This interview is part of “Netflix Cooking School," Delish’s new partnership with Netflix where we bring readers exclusive content tied to the premieres of some of their most popular new (and returning!) food shows.
Anytime a new cooking or food show comes to Netflix, I get excited. Doesn’t matter if it’s a show about America’s best fried foods, a competition game show about failing in the kitchen, or a comical take on a celebrity cooking in the kitchen, I’m watching it.
So when I got a sneak peek of Netflix’s latest food-related show, I was pumped. But the show in question, School of Chocolate, is not your average baking competition. Sure, from the outside, it may seem like every other compete-to-win pastry show, but it’s so much more.
What is the show about?
The show follows the journey of eight pastry chefs from all across the world. Over eight episodes, the chefs are challenged both individually and as teams to create intricate and delicious pastries and giant showpieces made entirely from chocolate.
Who hosts the show?
Instagram-famous French pastry chef Amaury Guichon hosts the show. He is part judge, part teacher, part charming host who teaches and critiques each of the creations of the contestants.
What does each episode consist of?
There’s so much to unpack in each episode. First, we have the solo challenges, which confront the chefs with a technical challenge. In the first episode, each of the pastry chefs are asked to make an illusion pastry using a mold they handcraft themselves. Amaury shows us his own creation: an oversized yellow school pencil. It looks quite shiny and real, until he asks a contestant to take a bite. Turns out, the whole thing is edible!
The second half of the episode is a team challenge where contestants are asked to make a showpiece—basically a giant sculpture made entirely from chocolate.
For all of the challenges, there is a skill the pastry chefs must use and incorporate into whatever they're making, from forming their own molds to chocolate shaping giant structures. After each challenge, Amaury selects who he thinks has come up with the best creations based on flavor, technique, and risks taken.
What makes the show different from other cooking competitions?
Sprinkled throughout the episodes are teachable moments (think Tim Gun's lessons from Project Runway). Not only will Amaury demonstrate the skill they should use in each challenge (he revealed how he made the pencil mold), but he also walks around, checking in with the contestants. If he notices them struggling, he will ask if he can help in any way and offer his advice on how to succeed. It’s honestly refreshing to watch positive teaching moments instead of the intense criticism we are so used to in competition and reality shows.
Another move Amaury makes: If he thinks a pastry chef isn’t ready for the next challenge because of poor performance, he will have them sit out. During that time, he will teach them a skill they may have been missing in order to help them improve.
Finally, no one gets eliminated. So the idea of the show is just as much of a school as it is a competition—the chefs are ‘graded’ but never kicked off.
What do the contestants say was the most challenging part of the show?
“Some of the pastry and chocolate challenges pushed me to my creative limits because previously, I was only thinking about them with a one-track mind and staying in my own zone. Working with Chef Amaury changed my perspective on pastries and chocolate and how to think outside of the box when creating.” —Amanda Miller, Pastry Chef Instructor, The Culinary Institute of Michigan
“Thinking outside of the box! Reflecting on it now, it all seemed so simple. However, in the moment it was difficult to break from my own personal style to a new perspective. I was able to trust the process and implement new techniques that were taught.” —Cedrick Simpson, Pastry Chef, Capital City Club
“Being on the show challenged me to have to develop products on the fly. It made me have to think outside the box, but also humbled me to realize that sometimes less is more, and served as a reminder that there can be a need to go back to basics.” —Daniel Joseph Corpuz, Pastry Chef and Chocolatier, Daniel Corpuz Chocolatier
“The show helped me face my fears of what I truly was capable of, forcing me to try new things and achieve even in the face of the unknown, and realize ‘Oh, you actually CAN do this!’” —Juan Gutierrez, Pastry Chef, Four Seasons Hotel Chicago
“The show challenged me to not second-guess myself, and to make decisions and press forward with conviction...there was no time to second-guess! I found it a truly growing opportunity. When you weed away doubt, great things can happen.” —Mellisa Root, Pastry Chef and Owner, The Hairy Lobster and Mellisa Root Chocolates and Confection
“Creating delicious flavor compositions has always been fun and easy for me, but conceptualizing structural elements and realistic-looking pastries was probably my biggest and best challenge through it all.” —Stephanie Norcio, Former Executive Pastry Chef, The Strand House Manhattan Beach
“There are probably too many to mention, from technically challenging to personally. I'm an extremely competitive person, but mainly with myself, I always want to do more and learn more, and sometimes just take on too much.” —Thiago Silva, Executive Pastry Chef
“Some of the best ways the show challenged me was to quiet the voices in my mind. I've always deconstructed and criticized my work mentally. Chef Amaury, his assistants, and my classmates' voices became more present than the negative ones in my thoughts.” —Tyricia Clark, Owner and Pastry Chef, T Cakes
Speaking of competition, what does the best chef win?
Amaury, on top of being a viral chocolatier sensation, also owns a pastry school in Las Vegas. The winner of School of Chocolate will be invited there to teach a masterclass. Oh yeah, and they win a cool $50,000—enough to start their own business.
When can I watch School of Chocolate?
It'll air on Netflix on November 26th, but in the meantime, check out the trailer above.
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