• Alexandre Bourdeaux is an internationally renowned Maître Chocolatier and Pastry Chef with over 25 years of experience in the field of high-quality pastry and chocolate.
He began his career at a very young age, graduating from the Ceria pastry and chocolate school in Brussels, and worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and 5-star luxury hotels around the world.
Returning to Belgium, he held the position of Head of the Callebaut Chocolate Academy in Wieze for 10 years, where he led the opening of the new headquarters in 2014 and trained generations of professionals, developing advanced processing techniques and sharing his passion for chocolate.
Today, Alexandre leads his own entrepreneurial projects: in 2016 he founded Pastry & Chocolate, a global consulting company that provides training, workshops and technical support to pastry chefs, chocolatiers and chocolate manufacturers worldwide. In 2018 it launched Ganache Solution, an innovative online software that helps professionals formulate, balance and manage ganache and chocolate-based recipes, controlling parameters such as texture, taste, water activity, stability and costs.
With a rigorous technical approach combined with creativity and a deep passion for cocoa, Alexandre is appreciated for his innovations in ganache, entremets, pralines and for his contribution to contemporary trends. He continues to collaborate with Callebaut, offering online courses and practical sessions internationally.
1. Maître Chocolatier, you started working in the world of pastry and chocolate at the age of 14, attending the CERIA school in Anderlecht. Was there a specific moment – perhaps a scent, a tasting, a compliment you received or an experience in the kitchen – when you felt inside yourself “this is my path forever”? Tell us about that moment that marked the beginning of everything.
At twelve years old I had a dream: to become a pastry chef and travel the world. Today that dream has come true and continues to grow. Pastry and chocolate making are, without a doubt, fields of creativity and expression. No one will ever be able to take away your creativity and passion! From a very young age I had the opportunity to work alongside chefs who passed on this passion to me. I learned that the first steps in a career are the most important; as far as I was concerned, they were extremely positive and gave me the desire and determination to continue.
2. You ran the Callebaut Chocolate Academy in Wieze for years. What was the most transformative experience you had there that still influences the way you teach and create today?
Working for Callebaut has always been a source of pride for me, as this chocolate is produced in my home country. It is a century-old company that continues to promote values of excellence and quality, principles that are fully part of my professional philosophy. I started my journey at Callebaut in 2006 and, in 2013, I presented the proposal to open a center of excellence, the Chocolate Academy. The company immediately accepted my idea and, a year and a half later, I inaugurated the most prestigious "Chocolate Academy" from Europe. Even today, although I work as an independent consultant, I continue to collaborate with Callebaut and, as I like to say, chocolate is my greatest ally and accompanies me in every part of the world.
3. In 2016 you founded Pastry & Chocadvice, and in 2018 Ganache Solution. What led you to leave such a prestigious position as Head of the Callebaut Chocolate Academy in Wieze, after 10 years, to become an independent consultant globally?
In life, those who don't dare achieve nothing!! Opening a pastry shop or a chocolate shop never really appealed to me; what I deeply wanted was to share my knowledge with others: this was, without a doubt, the path I wanted to follow. It's been ten years since I left my position as head of the Academy in Belgium. My last dream in that experience was to create and structure that Academy; later, I felt the need to face new challenges. I think that when you stay in the same company for too long, we tend to enter a comfort zone that can affect creativity and professional motivation. The decision to leave was the best one I could have made and today I am a chef living his dream.
4. In your travels around the world and your collaborations with patisseries and academies, you have developed a range of signature creations. Which one are you most proud of – perhaps a ganache or a praline that marked a turning point in your career – and why do you consider it so special?
I can say that every demonstration and every course makes me even more proud, especially when customers continuously respond with their enthusiasm and trust. It is a real pleasure, but also a great satisfaction, to be able to inspire people and offer them concrete solutions to their professional needs. If I had to mention a reason for particular pride, I would talk about the software "Ganache Solution", which I developed together with Yuri Cestari. It is currently used by over 1.600 professionals, who recognize its relevance, reliability and high level of professionalism.
5. If you could choose only three ingredients to express your signature as a chocolatier or pastry chef, what would they be and why?
Without a doubt:
1 – Vanilla: I am a big fan of it, I use it everywhere. It gives sweetness, fragrance and elegance to my creations.
2 – Chocolate: of course, it is my daily ally. It is a complex, living ingredient, capable of offering infinite creative possibilities. Is it possible to imagine pastry without chocolate? For me it is unthinkable.
3 – Raspberry: it is a fruit that I particularly love for its acidity and fresh notes. It is intense, delicate and at the same time extraordinarily expressive.
6. You have collaborated with Callebaut for many years. Is there a chocolate that you consider your “best ally” in the kitchen and that you would always recommend to young pastry chefs?
No! I always say that the best chocolate is the last one you tasted. What really matters is to taste it every day, to understand it and discover all the aromatic notes it can offer. Tasting and evaluating a chocolate is an extremely complex process.
7. How do you feel when you see a student or client applying one of your techniques and achieving an extraordinary result? Is it more pride or excitement?
Of course, there is a great reason for pride: I have had the opportunity to develop successful products for certain clients and their success is, in part, mine too.
8. Looking to the future: what is the biggest dream you still have to achieve in the world of pastry and chocolate?
Writing a book is an idea that my clients have been proposing to me for years. Even though there is so much information available on the internet these days, I think publishing a book would be the real icing on the cake. A challenge that is still waiting to be realized!
Interview conducted by Gabriela Dan, Editor-in-Chief of Arta Albă
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