Pierre Marcolini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pierre Marcolini
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Pierre Marcolini in 2019
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| Born | July 17, 1964 Charleroi
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| Nationality | Belgian |
| Occupation | Chocolatier |
Pierre Marcolini (born 12 July 1964) is a famous Belgian chocolatier. He is known for making high-quality chocolates and pastries. He was born in Charleroi, Belgium.
Contents
Discovering Pierre Marcolini's Journey
Early Life and Education
Pierre Marcolini was born on July 12, 1964, in Charleroi, Belgium. His grandparents on his mother's side came from Verona, Italy.
He went to school at a place called CERIA (Centre d'enseignement et de recherches des industries alimentaires et chimiques). This school teaches about food and chemical industries. He also studied at Infobo in Uccle.
Becoming a World-Class Chocolatier
After finishing his studies, Pierre Marcolini became a qualified chef and pâtissier (a pastry chef). He worked in many famous places in Belgium and France. Some of these included well-known spots like Wittamer and Auguste Fauchon.
In 1995, he won a big award: "World Champion Pastry Chef" in Lyon, France. This was a huge achievement! After winning, he opened his very first chocolate shop.
Pierre Marcolini visited the chocolate factory of Maurice Bernachon. He was really inspired by how Bernachon made chocolate by hand. He looked up to Bernachon and also to another great pastry chef, Gaston Lenôtre.
In 2007, a large company called Nestlé bought a small part of his business. Marcolini then created a special chocolate flavor for Nespresso, which is part of Nestlé. Nestlé then bought an even bigger share of his company. However, this partnership ended in 2011. Marcolini and other owners bought back Nestlé's share. The next year, Marcolini got more money from an investment group called NEO Capital.
By 2012, his company had 350 employees. By 2015, he had 30 shops around the world! You can find his shops in big cities like London, Tokyo, Paris, and Brussels. In 2012, his company made 32 million Euros.
Pierre Marcolini has a special factory in Sablon, which is a fancy part of Brussels. He likes to control his chocolate making "from bean to bar." This means he starts with the cocoa beans and makes his own couverture chocolate (the chocolate used for coating and dipping). He chooses his cocoa bean suppliers from farms in places like Brazil, Equatorial Guinea, and Mexico. In 2012, his company made 150 tons of chocolate!
He has also worked with other creative people. These include fashion designer Olympia Le-Tan and the fashion brand Kitsuné.
Pierre Marcolini on TV
In July 2013, Pierre Marcolini became a judge on a cooking TV show. The show is called Qui sera le prochain grand pâtissier ? (which means Who will be the next great pastrymaker?). It is shown on a French TV channel called France 2.
Books by Pierre Marcolini
Pierre Marcolini has written several books about chocolate and pastries:
- Éclats, Les Chocolats de L'iris, 2007
- Dix petits doigts pleins de chocolat, Racine, 2010
- Chocolat Café, Éditions Laymon, 2011
- Chocolat Plaisir, Éditions Solar, 2014
- Cacao, de la Fève à la Tablette, Éditions de la Martinière, 2015
- Best Of Pierre Marcolini, Alain Ducasse Éditions, 2015
- Cacao : del haba a la tableta, Librooks, 2016
- Chocolat: From the Cocoa Bean to the Chocolate Bar, Rizzoli International Publications, 2017
- Chocolat - Carnets de Voyages : Un tour du monde en 70 recettes, Éditions de la Martinière, 2017
Awards and Honors
Pierre Marcolini has won many awards for his amazing work:
- In 1988, he received the first national prize for artistic merit.
- In 1991, he was named "premier pâtissier glacier de Belgique" (the best Belgian cake and ice cream maker).
- In 1995, he won the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie (World Pastry Cup).
- In 2000, he won the European Pastry Cup.
- The Brussels tourist office named him "Ambassadeur du Tourisme" (tourism ambassador).
- In January 2015, he received an important title: "Officier de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole" (officer of the order of agricultural merit).
See also
