02.20.12
Meet Mont Blanc: Michael Szyliowicz
Rebecca Gelston

Name: Michael Szyliowicz

Title: Chocolatier, Co-Founder

Born: Grew up in Denver

What do you do for Mont Blanc Gourmet?

I come up with ideas for products— and I have dinner with customers.  

How did you get your start in this field?

Twenty-five years ago I learned to make chocolates in Paris, and everything just kind of fell into place after that.    

What’s the best part about your job?

The best part of my job is getting to think about all of these fantastic new products we create for customers.

What do you order at your favorite café?

Coffee black, or a mocha.  

Last great idea you’ve come across?

In my life as a "top secret" drink developer, I come across a lot of great ideas... but I’m not ready to share them quite yet! 

Beverages, Diary of a Chocolatier, News
chocolatier, Meet Mont Blanc, mocha, paris
11.09.10
One Source with Remarkable Differences – Madagascar Chocolate
Michael Szyliowicz

Over the past several years, single origin chocolate has gained in popularity and become better understood by the public. Now, bars from Madagascar are ubiquitous. During my recent trip to Paris, I tasted a great example of a single origin bar from that country. As you might imagine, it was not very sweet and carried flavors of red berries and citrus. In talking with the product’s producer, I learned that all of the beans for this bar came from his own estates in Madagascar, and he sells the cacao beans to virtually every other single origin chocolate bar producer in the world. He had a display of bars from Madagascar on a stand, and we discussed each of the different taste characteristics. The fascinating part is that even though all of the beans come from the same source, each bar tastes remarkably different. Changes in roasting temperatures, times, grinding and conching all contribute to the distinguished tastes. We discussed the ones we like, and both...

Beverages, Diary of a Chocolatier, Travel
cacao beans, chocolate, madagascar, marketing, paris, single origin
11.04.10
Latte Redux
Michael Szyliowicz

When is the last time you ate a latte? Yes, I really do mean ATE a latte. Francesco, a talented master barista I met at SIAL 2010, recently introduced me to a new way of creating espresso-based beverages (if you missed it, read this) that makes for an incredible ingesting experience. The most memorable was the Fusion Latte. To create this tasty treat, Francesco starts out with coffee "caviar" made from an acidified coffee base that drips into a calcium-water solution. When the coffee comes in contact with the water solution, it turns into small, round, gelatinous balls that look like caviar. The "caviar" is placed in a sieve and rinsed with fresh water to remove the calcium. To complete the Fusion Latte, Francesco places sweetened condensed milk in a spoon with the caviar balls on top. When you finally place the spoon in ...

Beverages, Diary of a Chocolatier, Innovation, Tradeshows, Travel
barista, latte, paris, sial
10.25.10
Coffee Alchemy at SIAL
Michael Szyliowicz

By habit, I seek out unusual concoctions, and I was not disappointed while at SIAL 2010, an international...

Beverages, Diary of a Chocolatier, Innovation, Tradeshows, Travel
barista, basil seed, beetroot, coffee, cream cheese, espresso, lemon, lemongrass, paris, sial, vin santo