Dessert Masters Judge Amaury Guichon’s Giant Chocolate Sculptures Are All In Storage

Melissa Leong and Amaury Guichon

Melissa Leong and Amaury Guichon ·Photo: Courtesy of Paramount

Ahead of the competition’s season two premiere, “the chocolate guy” spills the beans on Insta-fame, his go-to Italian spots in Melbourne and the secret to storing his confectionary masterpieces (in perpetuity).

With 16.2 million Instagram followers, Dessert Masters judge Amaury Guichon is one of the most-followed culinary pros on the platform. The elite pastry chef is ahead of Nigella Lawson (the queen has three million followers and counting) and trails Gordon Ramsay by a mere two million followers.

Guichon, who calls himself “The Chocolate Guy”, posts weekly videos of himself crafting larger-than-life chocolate sculptures. His works include a 250-kilogram velociraptor, a replica of the house from Up, and a koala he made in the Dessert Masters kitchen.

“The average one takes me about five days, eight to 10 hours per day,” he tells Broadsheet. “So anywhere from 40 to 50 hours.”

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We caught up with Guichon while he was in Melbourne filming season two of the Masterchef spin-off series, which airs on Channel 10 on Monday October 14. The show is co-hosted by Melissa Leong and this season’s contestants include Gelato Messina chief creative chef Donato Toce, pastry chef Darren Purchese (formerly of Burch and Purchese), Masterchef season 12 winner and cookbook author Emelia Jackson, and Instagram baking sensation Katherine Sabbath.

You’ve spent a bit of time in Melbourne now – are there any restaurants or cafes you really love?
I don't have much time to explore, but my girlfriend and I, we went to Higher Ground probably seven times. The hot cake, great avocado toast, a great selection of danishes, good coffee, great service.

We also went to two Italian restaurants that we really liked. Di Stasio, which I knew from my last trip, and Trattoria Emilia, which was our absolute favorite. It’s like being in northern Italy.

What are you excited about in the pastry world right now?
What excites me the most is how much people are talking about it. Because when I started in this industry, pastry was considered lame. It was a last resort. One of my biggest struggles growing up in this industry was feeling like I was worthless, and that was the reason why I ended up in pastry.

After many years, I realised how much beauty, hard work and knowledge was needed in order for anyone to work in this field. That’s one of the reasons why I started my Instagram – to raise awareness on the complexity and the beauty that goes into pastry. It’s kind of what started everything.

Not many pastry chefs get to earn a living from making bunnies out of chocolate. I’m just trying to show the most fun aspects and the extent of what can be done. So right now, what really excites me? It’s every time I open my feed and see people all around the world sharing their passion for pastry.

How did you get into the industry?
At 14 years old I was pushed out from general academic studies [in France] and forced into a trade field. Imagine telling any 14-year-old, “You’re not good enough to follow general study, so now you have to either become a mason, a hairdresser, a barber, a pastry chef, a chef or an electrician – and it’s going to be the choice you make for the rest of your life.” To be frank, I kind of picked one out of the bag that I thought would be the best.

The first few years were rough, but because of the lack of other options, I just applied myself very well to make the best out of a difficult scenario. And it turned out to be amazing for me. I hope that if some people know my story or read this and feel the same way, they hang on tight and just give their best effort, because even if the beginning of the trip is a bit rough, it doesn’t mean that the end has to not be happy.

Do you consider yourself an artist?
For the longest time I only saw myself as a pastry chef with an artistic dimension to my work. I think other people look at you and tell you whether you are an artist or not. I don’t think it’s something that should come from you. But to an extent, what I create – whether it’s pastry or chocolate – there is always a very strong artistic dimension to my work. So I would understand if people could consider me an artist.

Where do you start when you’re putting a new dessert together?
I have on my desk at all times two different lists – one for pastry creation, one for chocolate sculptures. The ideas for them could come from something I’ve seen, something I’ve watched on TV, an assistant telling me something. I’m a great listener and I believe anyone has an interesting take on viewing life. My strength is to take this idea and have it come to life.

Do you ever have days when you don’t want to make a sculpture?
I hope I never have that feeling. It’s never happened. People only see the fun aspect of me posting, but behind the scenes, it’s much different. The intensity in which I craft in order to keep people entertained and meet my commission jobs and requirements is very intense. However, never am I just like, “Oh, all right, another one.” I’m always so excited and looking forward to the next one.

What do you do with the sculptures once you’ve made them?
They are currently all stored at my school, in storage, ready to be displayed in a gallery the day I have the opportunity to be in the perfect location.

How do you preserve them?
That’s one unknown aspect. There is no magical thing behind it. I keep all the pieces anywhere between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius away from the sunlight and with no humidity. And when you do that, and they are well crafted, they can last years. After a period of time, the smell fades away. After a few years, the taste actually goes away, which is kind of interesting. But the art remains.

Dessert Masters season two starts 7.30pm on Monday, October 14.

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