• The path chosen by Pastry Chef Marinel Bejan was determined by the desire to carry on the family tradition. If the foundations of his future successful career in the field of desserts were laid from the moment he crossed the threshold of the patisserie owned by his parents, professional training and the ambition to take things to another level made Sailor Bejan an exceptional chocolatier with his own unique recipe in the world.
• He took the time to talk to Redaccia Arta Albă, to get to know him better and to discover the key to his success.
1. How would you describe yourself? in a few words for someone who doesn't know you? Who is Marinel Bejan?
I think I could describe myself as a very determined person in everything I want to do, brave, disciplined in my field and of course with a sense of responsibility.
2. Why chocolate? What made you choose this field?
Chocolate is not something new to me and over time I have encountered it several times. I've always had a strong taste for chocolate, but in recent years I've felt a real calling to the field of chocolate. With over 20 years of experience in cake shop, I have experimented over time with all kinds of flavors, so that I always come back to chocolate.
3. Do you remember the biggest obstacle on the road to success?
I think the biggest obstacle is people's mistrust of something new, mistrust of things they haven't seen before, they haven't met before. I perceived this as an obstacle.
Every time I got involved in a new project, I did it with determination and a lot of courage. But many have told me that it is not possible, it is not worth making an investment or even that it is not worth it "our nose"… And yet, I have always considered that we are in no way inferior to others and persevered in what I set out to do.
4. You are the first chocolatier in Eastern Europe with your own chocolate recipe. How did this idea of creating your own chocolate come about?
Yes it is true! The story started about a year and a half ago or even more, when I saw this Or Noir™ project on our chocolate maker's website. Watching recipes and other chocolatiers or confectioners working with Cacao Barry® piqued my curiosity.
After some time, I met the chocolatier and technologist Florin Crăciun, who told me more about this project and encouraged me to make the decision to get involved. I have him to thank for bringing it back to my mind Or Noir™ and determined me to complete it.
5. What do you think is the best chocolate in the world and where do the best cocoa beans come from?
It's a difficult question that I don't know if anyone can answer. There are some criteria that can be subjective, others objective, such as the fineness of a chocolate, its granulation, fluidity, flavors, the type of processing, how correctly it is produced, because there are farms in the world where children are exploited or the workers are not Pay.
Returning now to my taste and my preferences in terms of chocolate... Chocolate as intense as possible, as dark as possible, is in the first place for me. In my opinion, the one from Barry® Cocoa it is the best for my taste and quite varied. Each assortment is different from the other.
I'll give you an example: in our confectionery we have 4 varieties of chocolate, with 75 and 76% cocoa mass. Although they are similar and many would say it is just dark chocolate, they are actually very, very different. It is not even a bitter one, the cocoa beans are not roasted excessively, so as not to lose their flavor and not to interfere with that degradation of taste.
6. Is the Romanian consumer ready for innovations in the field of chocolate? Or is there still a need for a cultivation of taste?
I don't think he's ready. But it is our duty to cultivate their taste, to explain to them what they consume, to give them support and to pass on all our knowledge to them. Obviously, it is much more difficult work in the field of chocolate than in the other fields - patisserie, confectionery or gelato - and it requires a lot of time and patience. People are open to innovation, but many are not familiar with this special taste of an artisanal candy obtained from a quality chocolate, processed with love and with a sense of responsibility.
7. What are the greatest satisfactions that choosing this career brings you?
I think some of the greatest satisfactions would be the recognition of our work and effort. I am very happy when I talk with people, with clients and we talk about chocolate, or about desserts created by me and I manage to open their minds to new things. And so we return to our role as tastemakers.
8. How do you see the future of the field you have chosen?
I think we are still at the beginning in this area and there is room for development. In a few years probably, the artisanal chocolate side will gain more and more momentum. We are a little behind the rest of Europe and we clearly have a gap in this area, as in many other areas. However, I notice that we recover quite quickly, even faster than I expected. Moreover, the sales figures also say this, and the sellers of chocolate and equipment for its processing can confirm.
9. At what level do you consider the chocolate market in Romania to be at the moment? Has it reached maturity or is there still potential for growth?
We are not mature. We have quite a lot of development potential. But for now, many do not have the courage to go to the next level and make slightly more refined products. It boils down to relatively simple things like chocolate figurines made in mould, or at most chocolate tablets, glazed products. But on the side of pralines or more complicated chocolate pieces, we haven't seen any development in recent years.
Romanian chocolatiers still do not have the courage to move to another level, courage that they should find both in themselves and in the examples of others. We who produce candies or pieces of chocolate different from what exists in the niche market should promote ourselves more, get out of our comfort zone, communicate more and become role models for others.
10. Do you think that, in Romania, the artisanal or industrial chocolate sector is growing?
Obviously, industrial production is very high here, although not quite like in the rest of Europe, but artisanal production is also growing. I don't know the reasons why the last Romanian chocolate factory went bankrupt, but we, the artisan chocolatiers, are addressing another market.
Everything we produce is not on the supermarket shelf, and we probably didn't even think to get there. And many of us don't even want that. Because there we wouldn't be able to compete either in terms of price or exposure...
11. Do you have a motto that guides you, or a person who inspires you?
I don't have a specific person who inspires me. Obviously, the first people who inspire me are those close to me, my family, then the famous chocolatiers I follow. I couldn't name a single person.
But, most of the time, I find inspiration and determination within myself. I'm a pretty stubborn person who has proven that it can be done, even when I've been told it's not possible. And I believe that, helped by 20 years of confectionery experience, I have always made the right decisions.
This determination also helped me in the Or Noir™ project, at a time when limited time did not allow me to embark on something so complex. But loving chocolate and being determined to work with it, I decided to follow this passion for myself, for my soul, aware that it will not be easy and it will also mean a big investment, which does not recover quickly.
Photos taken by Photographer Florin Ștefan.
Audio version of the interview:
Interview conducted by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
Read on White Art and: Or Noir™ – A Romanian chocolatier discovers "Black Gold"!
