Meet the Candidate: Chef Toni Roberts – Chocolate Candidate for the 2025 U.S. National Selection

By ChuckM

With more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality profession, Chef Toni Roberts has held executive pastry leadership roles at some of Chicago’s most prominent hotels and restaurants, including The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, theWit Hotel, and C-House. Her work reflects a balance of technical precision and creative vision—qualities that led to her selection as a chocolate candidate in the 2025 U.S. National Selection for Club Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Team USA.

Meet the Candidate: Chef Mark Freischmidt Competes as Chocolate Candidate in 2025 Club Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Team USA National Selection

By ChuckM

Chef Mark Freischmidt has spent nearly three decades in professional kitchens, building a pastry career grounded in operational excellence, artistic precision and strong team leadership. He is now competing as one of the chocolate candidates in the 2025 Club Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie Team USA National Selection — the first step toward potentially representing the United States on one of pastry’s most prestigious international stages.

Meet the Candidate: The Tao of Pastry: How Chef Nicholas Forte Became a U.S. Tasting Candidate for the 2025 U.S. National Selection

By ChuckM

When Chef Nicholas Forte first stepped into a professional kitchen, he wasn’t chasing Michelin stars or sugar showpieces. He was pursuing a career in sports medicine. A kinesiology student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Forte was headed for a life of rehab and recovery — not ramekins and roulades. But fate, and perhaps a bit of flour, had other plans.