At Chocolate Rush this year ( held on the 8^th & 9^th August at the Melbourne Show Grounds) I was  delighted and privileged to meet a sensational pastry chef and chocolatier Pierrick Boyer. Pierrick is the executive pastry chef at le petite gateau in Little Collins Street Melbourne.  Oh, how wonderful is this superb little patisserie. It’s in a swish little section on little Collins Street (just up the road from Vue du Monde).…. A wonder around this section of the city always reminds me ‘just why’ I love living in Melbourne.

Chatting with Pierrick, I soon heard the passion he has always felt for KitchenAid and I was very impressed when he told me  he has visited the factory (yes where these beautiful machines are actually made) in Ohio. The mixers are still hand made which is a remarkable thing in it self in this throw away plastic era of appliances.

Here is  Pierrick and some of his team with him holding his new mixer ( if looks little different it because its from the commercial range. A large mixer with a special thermal cut off – so if the motor gets too warm it will stop – excellent for pastry chef’s as they push the mixer hard).

I always love a visit to this beautiful little patisserie and oh boy how delicious is it all! You can eat in,  enjoying your choice of pastry with a great  ‘Melbourne’ style  coffee or take away in  a glorious little box.  Pierrick also teaches private classes

at le petite gateau and you know he is not one of those chef’s that won’t well you the secrets – he loves to share his tips and tricks.

Enthusiastic home economics students at Whittlesea Secondary College had fun creating there own masterpieces last Thursday with Maureen McKeon,  the author of Crave – a Passion for Chocolate,  Simone Gordon ( owner / creator of  The Chocolate Rush Festival) and myself.  Many of the students have had a difficult time of it follwing the devistation of the area last year with the recent Victorian fires. It was fabulous to see and very much hear them having a ball (deafening at times)!  We spent a couple of hours playing with cup cakes, icing & frostings and chocolate plastic (which makes bowes, hearts, stars and my favourite thing ‘bouncies’ ).  There where smiles from ear to ear and some of the results were very impressive – I think there are a couple of budding pastry chef’s amongst them.  Thank you to Callebeaut Chocolate (all those Madagascar chocolate bars and that 5kg block), The Chocolate Rush Festival (chocolate cook books and the show bags) and KitchenAid (red KitchenAid labelled silicon spatula’s) for the gifts we could share with the kids. We hope to return later this year for a follow up class.

From all things chocolate to the Royal Victorian Show… what a food event this year promises to be – A Great Taste Experience in the Grand Pavilion will be my home from 17^th – 27^th September. Please come and say hello and enjoy seeing KitchenAid feature …. there might be a couple of spectacular prize give – a – ways too.

Here are a couple  simple home  recipe favourites from the KitchenAid data base…. a great simple chocolate mud cake and a family favourite mousse.

Chocolate Mud Cake

Peppermint Chocolate Mousse