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Jacques Torres
Pastry Chef Of New York's Famed Le Cirque Restaurant
By Victoria Forrest
 Jacques
Torres grew up in Bandol, France, a small town in the southern region of
Provence. By the time he was 15, he decided to try the world of baking.
During his next vacation, he began an apprenticeship at La Frangipan, a
small pastry shop in his home town. After two years, he completed his apprenticeship
requirements and graduated first in his class. He continued his practice
in La Cadiere d'Azur while waiting for his obligatory year of military time.
In 1980, on a bet with a friend, he approached the Michelin two-star
chef Jacques Maximin at the Hotel Negresco and innocently inquired for
a job. Maximin gave him an hour to return to work with a chef's coat.
A relationship grew from this encounter that would last eight years and
take him around the globe. During this time with the Hotel Negresco he
worked on refining his skills and nurtured his intuitive sense of confectionery
artistry.
1980-1983, he was back to school on his days off to earn the dress of
Master Pastry Chef. Then he taught pastry at a local culinary school in
Cannes from 1983-1986. Always using the time to enhance his abilities,
he honed his skill in preparation for the infamous Meilleur Ouvrier de
France (MOF) competition. In 1986, Jacques was awarded the prestigious
MOF medal and became the youngest chef to earn this distinction.
In 1989, the legendary Sirio Maccioni invited Jacques to work at New
York's most famous restaurant, Le Cirque. He used a $100,000 custom-built
pastry kitchen to entice Jacques (it worked). During the past six years,
Jacques has served presidents, kings and celebrities in his everyday work
at Le Cirque. He donates his time to many national charity organizations
such as the American Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, God+'s Love We Deliver,
New York's Hard of Hearing Association, Sloan Kettering Cancer Research
Center, the Association to Benefit Children and many others. He serves
as Dean of Pastry Studies at New York's French Culinary Institute.
 His
list of achievements during the past six years includes participation
in -"Merci" Julia the world's top culinary professionals' salute to Julia
Child; Julia Child's Master Chefs television series; James Beard Pastry
Chef of the Year; Pierre Franey's birthday celebrations; Chefs of America
Pastry of the Year; Chocolatier Magazine's 10 Best Pastry Chefs; The Masters
of Food & Wine' Chartreuse Pastry Chef Award; member of Academie Culinaire
de France; and Cunard+'s Culinary Crossing on the Queen Elizabeth II.
Some of Jacques' culinary awards and achievements include consulting
and product development for Cointreau and Valrhona; participation in the
rededication ceremonies for the Stature of Liberty honoring French President
Francois Mitterand and United States President Ronald Reagan; Le Figaro's
Culinary Cruise; recipient of the gold medal of the Japanese Pastry Chef
Association; winner of the 1986 French Championship of Desserts; culinary
weeks in Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne and Spain as well as participation in
many other competitions and culinary events in France.
Jacques Torres was nice enough to talk with Fabulous Foods from his
pastry kitchen at New York's famous Le Cirque 2000 restaurant.
Fab Foods: When you were fourteen or fifteen and decided to pursue
your now career, were you as creative as you are now?
Jacques Torres: No, no, not at all. I just work hard, very hard
and tried to learn everything I could. It seems as if there was always
something new that I wanted to try. I love to work with my hands and to
create. I think I am doing the same today....
Fab Foods: Your parents must have been so instrumental with encouraging
you.
Jacques Torres: They were wonderful. You know, sometimes you just
don't realize how very special your parents are until you get a little
older. They have been with me every step of the way. I miss them.
Fab Foods: After reading and cooking from your book "Dessert
Circus," I have the feeling that you are having fun. There is a lot
of personality in the book.
Jacques Torres: Listen, I truly love what I do and I think that
comes through. You know at first I was a little worried that this book
just might be confusing, but with the help of the most wonderful person
that I share my life with, Kris (she writes, I cook), we both feel that
this book is an eye opening adventure in the art of pastry cooking.
Fab Foods: Talk to everyone about Kris.
Jacques Torres: Well, I can tell you that Kris cannot cook, however
if I am making something and she doesn't understand a step or the reason
why, she points out ,and rightly so, that if she doesn't understand what
I am doing that the people that are using my cookbook probably wouldn't.
I need that. She is my support system and the calm I need in my life.
Like occasionally she will say that it is time to go away for a vacation.
You know we just got back from vacation and while I was gone I was thinking
of new things to create, that is just how I am. I feel that the cookbook
project as well as others projects that have been done just would not
have been completed without Kris.
Christina Wright has been a driving force with her energy making my
creativity come to life. She is the co-writer of this book. She has actually
tasted every recipe and she is the associate producer of the television
series. She came into my kitchen about five years ago to volunteer her
time as an apprentice. She is a graduate of Peter Kump's professional
baking and cooking program and has spent many years in the pastry kitchen
at Le Cirque.
Fab Foods: I must tell you that the photography is just magnificent
throughout the book.
Jacques Torres: Thank you. I have another wonderful person to thank
for the work. His name is John Uher. He is a very talented photographer
and I feel very fortunate he joined our project.
Fab Foods: Do you have any tips that you would share with our
readers?
Jacques Torres: Well, I think, especially if you are interested
in the art of pastry cooking, you need to have fun with it and you need
patience. Remember you are creating something.
Fab Foods: In your book you do tell people that it is alright
to make a mistake. If something is not working...start over.
Jacques Torres: Oh, I make so many mistakes...but you know what,
that is just how I learn. Especially if you are trying to create something
new, you have to fall, but you are better because of that experience.
No one can create anything perfectly the first time they try. So, clean
up and start over. I am a teacher and it is important for me to see how
things work so I can share the end results with the people. So from beginning
to end I also am trying to learn to enhance the way I teach, so some where
along the line there will be mistakes...it's alright!
Fab Foods: Do you have a favorite utensil?
Jacques Torres: Actually all of equipment is good. For instance,
I don't have a lot of knives at home, I have a couple of great knives,
that I take care of. The same goes for pots, you cannot cook well with
a pot that does not distribute the heat correctly. The same goes for ovens.
You know, you need to think about buying good quality equipment that will
last for a lifetime. It is an investment but it is well worth it.
Fab Foods: How is the new Le Cirque doing?
Jacques Torres: It is wonderful. I have the most beautiful pastry
kitchen. It is just amazing. I have nine people working with me, which
is a lot of people but everything is coming together beautifully. We are
so excited about it.
Fab Foods: You have a new T.V. show, "Dessert Circus with Jacques
Torres".
Jacques Torres: Yes, it is an all new 26-part national series for
public television. I think it will be different and fun. There will be
friends that visit like, Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Sirio Maccioni,
Mimi Sheraton, Robert LaFosse and children from the audience. The
show will feature from the fun to the fabulous, however everything can
be created at home.
Fab Foods: You have a Web site where people can write to you
and ask questions or just leave comments.
Jacques Torres: Yes, we have been getting a lot of response from
the Web site. Kris or Tina or myself will answer back. For me I don't
write English that well, but it is fun. (Author's note: believe me, Jacques
communicates extremely well!!). I also help you find specialty tools or
ingredients that may be hard for you to find. People can also write me
in care of Team Torres, P.O. Box 303, New York, New York 10101-0303. Jacques
Torres Web site address is http://www.jacquestorres.com.
FabFoods: What is in the future for you?
Jacques Torres: Definitely more of the same but I am already thinking
about the next cookbook..but I want to keep communicating with people,
creating and teaching...I love it!
If you are in New York City and want to visit Le Cirque 2000, call (212)
794-9292. The address is 455 Madison Avenue, New York 10022.
Other Fabulous Foods' Jacques Torres Links:
Be sure to also read about Clint
Brownfield's visit to Le Cirque 2000, follow this link.
In between her busy schedule writing travel stories, Victoria
Forrest writes a monthly syndicated entertainment column, regular features
for Vapor Trails Online Travel Magazine
and frequent features here at Fabulous Foods.
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