Text by Charline Gatinel - photos ©Julien Mota
If he were a sweet, Olivier Guillard would undoubtedly be a chocolate candy. Passionate about this gourmet ingredient, over the years the teacher has also developed a taste for passing on his know-how.
A native of Chartres, Olivier Guillard began his training with a C. A. P. in pastry before continuing with a master’s diploma. He then took his first steps in the industry at the Château d’Esclimont in Chartres.
Shortly after this initial experience, a major opportunity presented itself: to work as a pastry chef in the prestigious Trianon Palace in Versailles. He accepted immediately. He then settled in Brittany before putting down roots for the next 10 years in the neighboring region of Normandy. “It was at the C. F. A. in Coutances that I cut my teeth as a teacher of chocolate and pastry.” He then returned to Brittany and became head chocolatier for Alain Chartier, M. O. F. in Vannes, before devoting himself fully to teaching. “I returned to teaching in another C. F. A. in Rennes, then in Saint-Malo and Vannes.” And today? Still atthe very heart of his profession, he teaches the basics of pastry and chocolate making to students at the C. F. A. de Ker Lann, near Rennes.
Twenty years of teaching under his belt for this enthusiast who has been immersed in the world of sweets, and especially chocolate, from a very young age. “As a child, I made yogurt cakes with my mother and very quickly I wanted to become a pastry chef. As for chocolate, this I discovered a little later and I have never let go of it since. It's a very pleasant material to work with, both sensory and sensual, the aromas are both intoxicating and comforting. ”You might think that it is not blood that runs through his veins, but chocolate, as he likes to say. A sort of obsession, everything he sees must be transformed into chocolate. “Mousses, showpieces, photos… I do everything I can to reproduce in chocolate form everything I see that is aesthetic. To do this, I use dark, milk, and white chocolate alike. All three have particular characteristics: I like the first for making couverture, the second brings a little shade or light to a piece. As for the last, it is perfect for adding brightness."
Teaching this material, which is so special in his eyes, as well as pastry, is a real passion for Olivier Guillard. Motivating his students is the ultimate goal. “I train people aged 15 to 50. This includes young people seeking a change in career who went as far as the baccalaureate and then decided to take up this beautiful profession, after discovering cooking shows on television. They wish to learn how to make pastries and chocolate showpieces. The more their skills increase, the more they become aware of what's at stake, and the more motivated they are than ever."
In twenty years of experience, the teacher has been able to observe a real change. In the beginning, there was only one girl per class, it is clear that today the profession has become more feminized. “For a handful of years now, there have been more women than men. In my experience, their feminine style is very well suited to this culinary world; they bring delicacy to it and that is a good thing."
On the practical side, the trainer aims to stimulate his students’ thinking. “I like to set them challenges. For example, I present them with a recipe with one or more issues. If they fail to execute it, I prepare the same recipe in a successful version. The aim of the game? To discover how it can be adjusted so as not to fail. I also sometimes give them demonstrations that they then have to reproduce. If they make mistakes, I leave them to work independently so that they can become aware of what went wrong and do better next time; it is more constructive. ”With Olivier Guillard, kindness is not optional. “If their creations are not fully accomplished but daring, I am not going to penalize them because they will at least have had the merit of trying. So, I encourage them by giving them a good grade."
Deeply human, his kindness sometimes goes beyond the simple grading criteria. “We are much more than teachers: sometimes apprentices go through difficult times with their families, and we must also be there to listen to them and be able to guide and help them in their daily lives. "
When teaching, he is keen to pay tribute to Brittany by showcasing local ingredients. “I regularly ask the students to make a chocolate product by incorporating a Breton ingredient such as buckwheat, strawberries, a little whisky or crêpe dentelle." The same goes for pastries, which the young people revisit. “I ask the students to reinterpret the Paris-Brest by incorporating an ingredient from the region, which gives very satisfying results such as choux pastry made from buckwheat or the addition of caramel."
As for the future, Olivier Guillard has no intention of putting teaching on hold. On the contrary, with this project that is close to his heart, he's likely to take his experiences with the apprentices one step further. “I would like to be able to offer the students the chance to go to Reunion Island to visit the cocoa plantations and work with the product from bean to bar. Harvesting, collecting, drying… I would like them to be able to discover the entire production process and become aware that there is a lot of work behind a bar of chocolate. But cocoa is not the only ingredient to discover on the island: vanilla, rum, sugar cane and also fruit. It is a very enriching educational project and I really hope it will come to fruition."