Chocolatier at chocolate factory - Barcelona, SpainJordi Farres
“At young age, I was obsessed with mechanics. I spent days disassembling toys and stuff to understand how they worked. My hero was Aerton Senna. Speed… How it intrigued me. I even wanted to become a Formula One pilot, just like him. But his accident made me change my mind. And I started to study mechanics in high school. It quickly disappointed me though. I couldn’t find my thrills, because mechanics didn’t trigger me to create something new. So I turned to my other love: cooking.
"I get my biggest kicks when I can add something really spectacular to everyday pastries or desserts."
My parents supplied fish to restaurants. And my grandma taught me how to cook. She was the best cook you can imagine. I switched to a culinary school. And there I discovered patisserie and chocolaterie. It was amazing: I finally realised how they inspired me to play with colour, texture – to sculpt and paint… I could finally create. I still get tonnes of energy from my job. And I still swim against the current… Do things differently. A pastry should be like the white dot in the black part of the yin-yang symbol. It should amaze you, and really brighten up your day.”