"I don’t think the love for eating chocolate will ever go away. I don’t know if it’s a love or a sugar addiction - either way, it's not going anywhere."
While chocolate is an occasional treat for some, the confection is an integral part of Vancouverite-turned-Melburnian Santiago 'Santi' Cuyugan's daily menu.
Santiago 'Santi' Cuyugan Source: Santiago Cuyugan
A sweet shift
Santi found his calling in pastry and chocolate, but he actually began his culinary career in the hot kitchen.
"I started out as a savoury chef. My mother was a chef instructor and I wanted to follow in her footsteps; but she pushed me to do pastry school so I could get a solid understanding of ingredients," he says.
Having a solid understanding of ingredients further amplified his love for food, with Santi believing that this would lead him to making a name for himself as a savoury chef.
"When I came to Australia though, I did a stint at the Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in Melbourne. I was a teaching assistant and I was doing research and development. That's where I gained my passion for pastry and chocolate."
Santi found that pastry and chocolate were a good fit for his personality and idiosyncrasies. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
Along with passion, Santi found that pastry and chocolate were a good fit for his personality and idiosyncrasies.
"I think my personality is better suited for pastry – you need to be more organised, calm and relaxed. There's a lot less yelling and throwing things in the kitchen. There's a lot more precision, being OCD and being as perfect as possible each step of the way."
When it comes to chocolate, Santi admits that no other ingredient is as complex or unique in the way it reacts to other materials, technique, moisture and temperature.
When it comes to chocolate, Santi admits that no other ingredient is as complex or unique. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
"It comes down to practice and getting the motor movements right. A lot of it is knowing how the chocolate works," he shares, adding, "In school, I was taught to treat it like a girlfriend - you need to show it some love. You need to take care of it."
Taking care of this ingredient means thoughtful precision.
"Whether you’re doing chocolate bars, bonbons, showpieces or mousse of chocolate crémeux, pay attention to each and every single step. You can't fix it in the end - not like if you undercook a steak, you can put it back on a bit longer."
Taking care of this ingredient means thoughtful precision. Source: Bibelot
The competitor
Although chocolate requires flawless execution, Santi admits that mistakes are essential to perfecting the craft.
"I'd be worried the day I stop making mistakes, to be honest," he shares.
Ever the competitor, this 2017 Savour Pattisier of the Year says that mistakes from previous competitions benefited him.
Santi with his wife Yukiyo as he won Savour Patissier of the Year in 2017. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
"Halfway through my pastry courses, I was lucky enough to be offered a spot on the junior culinary team for Canada to represent on the world stage," he says, adding, "There was a time I started slacking off and focused on other things aside from the competition. I got bumped off one of the main spots and was put on support. That really stung. I learned from that."
"Going on to do my own competitions, the first time I did Savour Patissier, I wasn’t as prepared as I wanted to be and I ended up getting 13th place out of 30. I learned from that and fortunately, ended up winning the next time. I guess it means that I made the right changes."
Santi was part of the junior culinary team to represent Canada on the world stage. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
Challenging chocolate
When it comes to changes, a pivotal advancement in Santi's career was becoming the Head Chocolatier of Bibelot in South Melbourne.
"I started out as chef de partie up in pastry. A couple of months later, the Head Chocolatier had to leave and I ended up taking his position."
Santi has been Bibelot's Head Chocolatier for three years now. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
He admits that he struggled with the role in the beginning.
"Chocolate is quite difficult to work with and working with it eight hours a day is mentally challenging," he shares, adding, "But I grew into the role these past three years. It's pretty fun."
Fun leads to innovation, with Santi sharing that he gets "inspiration from everything" for his chocolate creations.
"Chocolate is quite difficult to work with and working with it eight hours a day is mentally challenging." Source: Santiago Cuyugan
"It could be from the flavours our colleagues or partners like, or from a design from a snack everyone loves," he shares, adding, "For competitions, it's from things that are different or out of the norm...designs people have never done before."
And for people who have never done chocolate work before, Santi understands the intimidating nature of the medium.
Santiago's winning hand-sculpted chocolate piece of the Greek Goddess of Spring, Persephone at the 2018 Callebaut Sydney Royal Chocolate Show. Source: Santiago Cuyugan
"We have students in Bibelot come through for placement. A lot of them come through scared, but I try to guide them in slowly. [I tell them] not to be afraid of it - it's really just food. Don't be afraid to get messy. It's just about getting over that hump and understanding that it's okay to make mistakes as long as you're learning from them."
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