21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

Stéphane Leroux has won many prestigious awards in professional contests, representing Belgium and taking home top prizes in the chocolate category at the World Pastry Championship in the US in 2002 and 2004, and receiving the honor Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Pâtissier / Confiseur) in 2004. He is currently affiliated with Puratos, a global manufacturer of confectionery and bakery ingredients that owns the professional chocolate brand Belcolade, and published Bleu Chocolat, a technical manual of artisanal chocolate-making, in 2019. Motivated by a desire to share the experience he gained with Compagnons du Devoir, a French association of craftsmen and artisans, he is particularly passionate about conveying his expertise to professionals worldwide through diverse workshops in locations around the globe, contributing to the preservation of these skills. In this talk he will focus on two of his exhibited works, discussing production processes in which he handles chocolate freely, and expounding on the allure of chocolate.