Food News: Cioccolato's Ortega closer to World Choclate Masters

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

By Planet User

Once you’ve tried one of Oscar Ortega’s scrumptious chocolates, no other chocolatier’s goods will do. Why are the bonbons, truffles, pralines and cakes created by the executive chef and owner of Cioccolato so good?

For starters, Ortega has trained extensively in North America and Europe and has been cooking for over 10 years.

Jackson Hole choco-holics are not the only ones who go ga-ga for Ortega’s treats. Last month, he took second place in the United States qualifying competition for the World Chocolate Masters event, a grueling five-and-a-half-hour shift  that will take place in October in Paris.

“It’s the most important competition in the world for artisan chefs,” Ortega said over a cappuccino at his pastry shop at 225 N. Cache. “One of the requirements also is that the people who apply, they need to be working every day with chocolates.” The competition goes so far as to send undercover chocolate spies to each of the applicants to ensure they aren’t executive chefs filling out paperwork all day.

Having participated in several team competitions – including the X Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie in France this year, the World Pastry Team Championship in 2006, and the Olympic Culinary Games in Germany in 2004 – Ortega wanted to test the competitive waters alone.

At the qualifying competition, he was assigned two “working” jury members who watched his every move and judged his every technique as he made a hand-dipped praline, a molded bonbon, an entremets or cake, a plated dessert and a showpiece.
“Everything has to be 100 percent chocolate in your showpiece,” he said. “You cannot incorporate anything else. You need to construct or build your showpiece with a nice structure that is fragile looking so that people are like ‘Whoa, look at that thing!’”

The most stressful part of the qualifying competition day probably was receiving the “mystery basket,” a list of random ingredients from which the participant makes a plated dessert. In Ortega’s case, that resulted in a multi-layered cake with tarragon-infused dark chocolate mousse, lemongrass milk chocolate pudding, hazelnut and pecan chocolate ice cream, pepper and cinnamon chocolate financier and passion fruit sauce. The creation secured him second place overall. He also was selected for best showpiece and best hand-dipped chocolate.

“I don’t go for the joy of competing anymore, for the experience,” Ortega said. “I want to win.” Competing is not exactly fun, he said, as it requires countless hours of work and preparation on top of his regular day job and it costs a lot of money.

“In a very small frame of time, I’ve been in the five most important competitions in the world,” Ortega, who is only 33, said. “Every time you get closer and closer to the podium, and it’s what feeds you to keep going. You always know that you are probably many years away from reaching the goal, and maybe you’ll never get it.”

In the meantime, by the beginning of next winter, Cioccolato will have moved to its new home at 130 W. Broadway (where Harvest was), and evolved into a pastry shop with a lounge area, café and retail space with cookbooks and fine wines.

“We’re going to have crepes, gelato, a bigger line of chocolates and desserts, entremets, we’re going to do very fine artisanal bread,” Ortega said. “We’ll have an extended line of hot drinks, and at night we’re going to have a plated dessert menu ... And we’re going to do a very, very fine breakfast.”

Regardless of whether Ortega ever stands at the podium, he has earned a spot in the hearts and palates of Jackson Hole residents. To try his goods for yourself, stop by 225 N. Cache or call Cioccolato at 734-6400.

Photo By Derek Diluzio
Ortega has competed worldwide in chocolate and pastry competitions.

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Food News: Cioccolato's Ortega closer to World Choclate Masters | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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