Recipe: Valrhona’s Chocolate Praliné Cupcakes

By ChuckM

October proves to be a bustling month in the culinary world. It not only boasts the titles of National Dessert Month, National Dessert Day, and National Baking Week but also brings us National Chocolate Cupcake Day today, October 18! While truth be told, we don’t require a dedicated day or month to indulge in sweets,…

Recipe: Frightfully Easy Decorated Iced Cookies for Halloween

By ChuckM

While Halloween is just around the corner at the end of this month, it’s always a good time to start embracing the festive spirit! October 1st is National Homemade Cookie Day, we thought it would be fantastic to showcase these scrumptious and delightfully decorated sugar cookies. They come to you courtesy of one of the…

Meet the Chef: Robert Nieto, U.S.Pastry Team 2017

By ChuckM

A native of Texas, Robert “Buttercup” Nieto began his career as a line cook at the Corpus Christi Country Club after receiving his cooking and baking certificate from Del Mar Community College. Although he started as a line cook, Robert always had a thing for sweets.