There’s an exciting lineup of speakers and presenters at the 2019 Los Angeles Chocolate Salon. Take a look at some of them!
SUSIE NORRIS
Susie Norris, author and founder, Food Market Gypsy.
Susie Norris is a pastry chef, educator, and food-focused traveler. She taught baking at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts and ran an award-winning artisan chocolate business in Los Angeles for a decade. Her books are CHOCOLATE BLISS (Penguin Random House, 2008), HAND-CRAFTED CANDY BARS (with Susan Heeger, Chronicle Books, 2013), and the newest, A BAKER’S PASSPORT (Amazon, February, 2019), based on her culinary travel blog FoodMarketGypsy.com, winner of the IACP Digital Media Award.
ALE GAMBINI
Ale Gambini is an LA-based food writer, cookbook author, and award nominated host chef in a web series. She’s an Italian food ambassador and develops recipes for the most prestigious Italian brands.
Ale is teaching the extraordinary Italian cuisine to hundreds of food enthusiasts around the globe.
JESSICA FERRARO
Craft and Chocolate Bar Expert and founder of Bar Cacao, Jessica Ferraro.
Jessica is well known in craft chocolate circles, and is a strong voice in the industry. She also judges numerous artisan chocolate competitions around the world.
As the founder of Bar Cacao at the Chocolate Salon, Jessica has a following for her palate, her chocolate selections, and her instruction to attendees on how to taste the various flavors and textures of chocolates from exotic regions across the globe.
ART POLLARD
Master Artisan Chocolate maker Art Pollard of Amano Artisan Chocolates, Utah.
Amano has won multiple chocolate awards in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Napa, Sacramento, London and beyond.
Located high in Utah’s Wasatch Mountain range in the heart of the Rockies, Amano is dedicated to creating some of the world’s most exquisite chocolate through traditional techniques. Amano means “by hand” and “they love” in Italian, and that describes the care and perfection that Amano brings to chocolate and in turn to the people who savor it. www.Amanochocolate.com
MICHAEL BENNER
Master Artisan Chocolate maker Michael Benner of Michaels Chocolates, San Francisco.
Michaels has won multiple chocolate awards in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and elsewhere.
Chef Michael is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy and Ecole Chocolat. He has studied with master chocolatiers in Canada and the U.S. and loves making truffles, bonbons, bars and confections. www.michaelschocolates.com
LEE SCOTT THEISEN
Chocolate guru
Bio coming soon