Mario Bacherini: Bringing Decades of Pastry and Chocolate Expertise to L’École Valrhona on the West Coast

Based in Los Angeles, California, Chef Mario Bacherini is the West Coast Pastry Chef of L’École Valrhona, where is he is in charge of conducting classes, demonstrations and workshops for professionals, providing one-on-one culinary consultations and bringing Valrhona’s expert touch to the West Coast. 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, where he worked at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée with French Pastry World Champion Christophe Michalak. 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 began his own consulting company, providing consulting for bakeries, pastry shops and restaurants, and later on had the opportunity to work side by side with one of the best pastry chefs in the world, Amaury Guichon, in his newly opened school in Las Vegas. Chef Bacherini continued to deliver his expertise across the United States and abroad until he got the call from Valrhona to join their North America team at the beginning of 2023.

In this episode we discuss:

• Bacherini’s challenging childhood and how he became interested in pastry
• Attending culinary school in Florence
• How he snagged his apprenticeship with a top-notch chocolatier
• Moving to France to work for Olivier Bajard, M.O.F.
• Working with French Pastry World Champion Christophe Michalak at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée
• Landing the position of Executive Pastry Chef at Nobu in NYC
• His experience teaching masterclasses around the globe
• How he became West Coast Pastry Chef for L’École Valrhona
• A typical day at the office for Chef Bacherini
• The importance of using high quality ingredients and staying “authentic”
• And much more!