Chocolate & Confections

Biography

Chef Romain stepped into the workshop in his village’s bakery and pastry shop for the first time at the tender age of nine. It was at this exact moment that he found his vocation.

That sense of fascination having never left him, he did an apprenticeship in the Jura region with Camille Chevalet, who passed on his passion for chocolate and taught him values such as respect, rigor and sharing.

In 2000, he took the next step in his education with an apprenticeship alongside Philippe Segond. It was in Aix-en-Provence with this Meilleur Ouvrier de France that he got his “BTM” qualification in Chocolate and became a Chocolatier, a role he stayed in until 2011. Romain’s experience has allowed him to take up a hybrid role at Valrhona that combines making chocolate bonbons with R&D, a department in which he has spent four years teaching and learning.

In 2015, Romain joined the L’École Valrhona family as an Instructor and R&D Coordinator. It served as a golden opportunity to showcase the values which define his approach to chocolate-making.

Biography

After graduating from culinary school in Florence, Italy, Chef Bacherini went on to do his apprenticeship as a chocolatier. He began working in Michelin-starred restaurants across Italy and France until he decided to settle in Perpignan, France where he trained under Olivier Bajard (Meilleur Ouvrier de France).

In 2008 he moved to Paris, France where he worked at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée with French Pastry World Champion Christophe Michalak and worked for Alain Ducasse in his 3 Michelin Starred Restaurant inside the Plaza Athénée. Four years later, Bacherini left Paris for New York City, where he took on the role of Executive Pastry Chef at Nobu, managing three restaurants. While in New York, he also traveled the world to teach Pastry masterclasses in various countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Italy and France, as well as the United States. In 2017, he moved to Los Angeles where he taught pastry classes for professionals.

He also began his own consulting company, providing help to up-and-coming bakeries, pastry shops and restaurants. He helped create menus, improved production standards, did R&D to provide new menu ideas and solutions, in addition to creating recipes and training staff.