Norman Love facts for kids

Norman Love is a famous American pastry chef who creates amazing chocolates and desserts. He lives in Fort Myers, Florida, and is known for his delicious and beautiful sweet treats.

Norman Love's Sweet Career

Norman Love had a long and successful career making desserts. From 1988 to 2001, he worked as a top pastry chef for Ritz-Carlton, a very fancy hotel chain. He helped open new pastry kitchens in many places around the world, like Boston, Dubai, and Bali.

Starting His Own Business

After 13 years at Ritz-Carlton, Norman Love decided to try something new. He teamed up with Michael Schneider to create a company called Carymax LLC. This company organized exciting cooking competitions. These competitions were so popular that they even became the idea for a TV show called "Food Network Challenge"!

In 2001, Norman Love started his own chocolate company. It was first called Ganache Chocolates, and he started it with another pastry chef, Judy Limekiller. They made very special, high-quality chocolates for hotels and restaurants. But soon, regular people loved their chocolates too! In February 2002, a newspaper called USA Today said Ganache Chocolates was one of the top 10 best handmade chocolate companies in the whole country.

Building His Brand

Because of his great reputation and many connections, a famous chocolate company called Godiva asked Norman Love to design special, limited-edition flavors for their "G" line of chocolates.

In 2004, Norman Love changed his company's name to "Norman Love Confections." He continued to make his brand well-known by sharing his products at charity events. This helped more people in his community discover his delicious treats. In February 2005, a magazine called Consumer Reports even rated Norman Love Confections as one of the top three chocolate companies in the country!

TV Appearances and Influence

Norman Love was one of only 26 chefs chosen to appear on Julia Child's famous TV show, "Baking with Julia," on PBS. On the show, he made a special dessert called Banana Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Beignets.

As mentioned, Godiva Chocolatier has asked Love to create special chocolates for their exclusive "G" Collection. Some of the tasty flavors he designed include Lemon Drop, Tart Raspberry, Bananas Foster, Apple Pie, Tahitian Vanilla, P.B. & Jam, Salted Caramel, and Caramel Macchiato.

Norman Love has also had a big impact on how chocolates are made. Many chocolatiers who create shell-molded chocolates (chocolates with a hard outer shell and a soft filling) use techniques that Norman Love helped to perfect.

Where to Find Norman Love Confections

While there are only four main stores for Norman Love Confections in Florida (two in Fort Myers, one in Naples, and one in Estero), his chocolates can be found in other places across the United States.