Me/

Chef Dimitri Fayard, World Pastry Champion 2008 is the Head Chef at the Chicago Chocolate Academy, overseeing the marketing campaigns for Cacao Barry, Callebaut, Carma & Van Leer/

Dimitri began his culinary training at the Lycée Pardailhan in Auch, France, earning his Certificat d’Aptitude Professionel de Cuisine (or CAP Cuisine) and his CAP Pâtisserie, while working with Philippe Urraca MOF 1993/

In 1998, Dimitri traveled to the United States and began working for François Payard at his New York City Shop. From there, Dimitri accepted a position as Assistant Pastry Chef for Jean-Philippe Maury MOF 1997 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. During his time at the Bellagio, Dimitri and his team provided desserts for four restaurants, a 24-hour café and two pastry shops, in addition to creating all wedding cakes and room service desserts/

Dimitri then applied his pastry expertise at the Ritz-Carlton Corporate hotel in Atlanta, with 2 times World Champion 2004 & 08 Laurent Branlard, before traveling to Chicago in 2002. In Chicago, he helped open the Hotel Sofitel Water Tower and served as Executive Pastry Chef. Opening his Pastry Shop, Vanille Pâtisserie in May 2003, Dimitri sold it in November 2011/ 

Recently, Dimitri has shared his techniques and passion with the students at the French Pastry School, with Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sebastien Canonne MOF 2004, focusing primarily on cakes, tarts and entremets/

In May 2013, Dimitri served as the Executive Pastry Chef at The Peninsula Chicago, where he oversaw pastry development for all food and beverage operations in the hotel. He also serves as the Chocolate Sommelier at the Peninsula’s “Chocolate Bar” which is open on weekends/

Over the course of his career, Dimitri has received many accolades. He was awarded three gold medals at the Atlanta Pastry Classic Competition in 2001, and was named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Art & Design and Chocolatier magazines in 2007. Dimitri was named a World Pastry Champion in 2008, in 2009 he was admitted as Academician into the Academie Culinaire de France, and was a finalist for the MOF in 2011/