Pastry Chef Oriol Balaguer

Pastry Chef of Estudio de Chocolate y Pastelería, Oriol Balaguer. Hailing from a country whose name has been on every gourmet and wine connoisseur’s lip, Oriol Balaguer, pastry chef extraordinaire. Balaguer’s studious exterior belies his wild ability to create unusual and exciting desserts that have taken the pastry world by storm. As a pastry chef has represented his country at the World Pastry Cup in Lyon, France and has a book on pastry, La Cochina de los Postres, to his name. The pastry tome has seen a third translation into English (it was first translated into French) for a worldwide audience and has been put on the same footing as The Patisserie of Pierre Hermé and Au Coeur des Saveurs by Frederic Bau.

“Since young, I’ve had the conviction that I would be a pastry chef,” says pastry chef Balaguer who headed the pastry section of Talaia restaurant, an exciting dining establishment in Barcelona. “Fifteen years ago, culinary matters were not mentioned much, but nowadays every kid wants to be a famous chef or a famous pastry chef. And every chef de cuisine wants a good pastry chef beside him.” One of his most famous, if not the most famous dessert is called the seven textures of chocolate. It first burst upon the world’s consciousness in 1994 and is still very popular today. In fact, if imitation is the best form of flattery, then the many other versions that have surfaced, even in Paris, are a testament to his superb talent. In fact, it has been named Best Dessert in the World! “Every chef hopes to create a classic in his lifetime,” says pastry chef Balaguer. “I hope this is the one for me.” Not surprisingly, chocolate is his favourite ingredient to work with. His quenelle of creamed chocolate in olive oil, with its different viscosities and the contrast between bitter chocolate and fruity olive oil, is something to-die-for. Salt however, comes in a close second on his list of favorites. “Even in pastry, salt enhances every ingredient. My favorite is Maldon,” the pastry chef says.

Citing Jordi Butrón who is the pastry chef with the first dessert restaurant in the world, Christopher Felder who is the pastry chef at The Crillon Paris and the Adriá brothers as peers he especially admires, pastry chef Balaguer would eventually like to see his name on dessert lists as an indication that his desserts are remembered and worth remembering. “How a dessert looks is important, because people are more inclined to try something if it looks good,” Balaguer points out. “More and more people are appreciating dessert.” Pastry chef Balaguer opened his own showroom and ‘factory’, Estudio de Chocolate y Pastelería, sort of like a painter’s studio where people can order pastry items based on displays or brochures, and see pastry chefs at work. Some chefs will create more than one classic in their career, and we’re certain pastry chef Balaguer will be one such chef.