On the ninth floor of the University Club of Chicago, chef Toni Roberts artfully plates a chocolate-peanut butter pudding on a pristine white dish. With skilled hands, she adds a graham cracker crisp, before elegantly spiraling cocoa marshmallow fluff on top.
The atmosphere is refined and delicate, yet soon Roberts will shift gears as a massive shipment of chocolate arrives from France, weighing 75 kilos. This chocolate, the equivalent of a small man’s weight, is crucial for her upcoming preparations.
Roberts is gearing up for an intense eight-hour competition set for September 6 at Kennedy-King College’s Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute. She is one of nine chefs vying for just four spots on the U.S. Pastry Team.
The path ahead is arduous; the ultimate goal is to reach the prestigious Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie in Lyon, France, scheduled for 2027. During this event, pastry chefs from around the world will work tirelessly for 10 hours straight, creating extraordinary desserts amid an electrifying audience atmosphere.
Roberts, an accomplished pastry chef previously serving as the executive pastry chef at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, credits her passion for baking to her childhood in a small town in Ohio, where she learned the craft from her grandmothers. She found much of her early inspiration in the television show “Great Chefs of America,” particularly looking forward to the dessert segments.
A noteworthy career highlight for Roberts includes preparing dessert for a state dinner at the White House, an experience she describes as surreal, navigating through a pastry kitchen that is accessed by a small spiral staircase and completing tasks via a dumbwaiter.
Although she has an impressive culinary background, Roberts admits to not having a massive sweet tooth. “So when I’m not at work I’m not necessarily eating dessert,” she explains. “I like to have a bite and try it, but I burn out really quick. But I’ll eat a whole bag of chips.”
Surprisingly calm about the upcoming competition, Roberts has meticulously refined her chocolate-peanut butter pudding recipe, tweaking it eight times. She will also need to prepare a frozen-fruit dessert and a chocolate showpiece, utilizing the 75 kilos of fine French chocolate that has just arrived. Her chosen theme for the showpiece revolves around cultural heritage.
Roberts envisions a dramatic four-foot-tall tableau representing a National Park, complete with chocolate-crafted picnic tables, squirrels, a giant redwood tree, and piled-up stones.
A former champion, En-Ming Hsu, recalls the excitement of the U.S. team’s only first-place finish in 2001 and emphasizes the competitive nature of the event, noting that the Japanese are the current two-time defending champions.
For Hsu, a judge’s awe is crucial. “You want a judge to look at your piece and say, ‘How did they do that?'” she explains, reflecting on the high standards and expectations judges have, from the color of the chocolate to the uniformity of portions.
The stakes are high, as errors can lead to immediate point deductions and possibly disqualification for any attempts at cheating, such as incorporating pre-made elements into the competition.
Hsu recounts the chaotic environment during her competition in 2001, describing the frantic situation when her team struggled to prepare the kitchen left in disarray by the previous competitors.
With the pressure mounting, Hsu shared her experience of working through the competition without a moment to eat or even visit the restroom. This unwavering focus is still present today.
Roberts laughs light-heartedly, acknowledging the intensity of the experience, “If you have to go, you have to go, but it’s not a lolly-gagging time.” She has no plans to take a break for lunch, instead, she is preparing to treat the competition like a marathon, suggesting she will carb-load the night before to sustain her energy throughout the ordeal.
As the date approaches, all eyes will be on Roberts as she combines her passion, skills, and determination for a chance at pastry glory.
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