This is what a field trip looks like when you’re in pastry school.
SF Cooking School’s professional pastry class took a visit to Feve Artisan Chocolatier for a special chocolate airbrushing and molding workshop with Shawn Williams.
Shawn showed our pastry students various techniques on how to hand-paint and airbrush chocolates with his signature artistry.
As he demonstrated his airbrushing technique, Shawn told us about how he got started in the world of chocolate. He trained with the confectionary master Ewald Notter, working 80 hours a week, 7 days a week, for almost nothing. Far from a life of culinary glamour, Shawn recalls living in humble quarters (the description “crack house” may or may not have been used), and losing 20 pounds subsisting off bean and cheese burritos because at $3 for a pack of 12, that’s all he could afford.
The grueling work and taxing lifestyle was worth it though, and when we asked if he would have done anything differently before starting his own business at the ambitious age of 26, he answered:
“If I could have learned for 5–6 more years with 3 or 4 more amazing chefs, I would.”
Apprenticeship is something we greatly value at SF Cooking School, because there are some skills and habits you can only really learn on the job.
Shawn recalls struggling with his focus while he was a pastry chef at La Folie: “I was finding that my work was inconsistent — sometimes I’d be doing great work, and other times I’d flounder. I learned to discipline myself to be focused, and as soon as I made that conscious effort, I did well.”
“Focus is a choice.”
After the class completed their decorations, Shawn demonstrated how he fills the molds and creates the chocolate shells which will later be filled with ganache or praline. He uses a fancy machine with a continuously flowing fountain of tempered chocolate. You will have dreams of this chocolate fountain after laying eyes on it.
Once the molds have set, the chocolate shells are turned out, revealing all the beautiful designs that were so painstakingly created.
As we packed up our glistening chocolate gems, Shawn offered a few last words of wisdom on the topic of small business ownership. Many students enter pastry school with lofty dreams, and while dreams are great, it’s important to balance that with a healthy dose of realism.
“Creativity is not a huge part of owning your own business.”
There’s a lot of paperwork, P&Ls to track, and accounts to manage. Shawn wryly comments, “I’ve followed a non-lucrative career for 20 years.” His parting advice on starting your own business? “Wait until you have more experience.”
